How Sandra Oh Almost Walked Away From Grey's Anatomy

I don't audition very much meaning not that you get parts because that's not the case my opportunities as an asian-american female actress the chances that you get up to get to bat is just fewer it's always been that case for me I had done I had done Arliss for about seven season and then I and I took a like a year actually not that long a year or so off between that and before I thought Grayson did a couple movies one of them being sideways and I at that point in my career that it hit hit a plateau you know it's like okay I'm at this point where maybe I can be someone's you know a white white woman's best friend for a couple scenes well I don't know I mean you're the one who made the empty shell person standing at the crossroads speech oh yeah that was me you know you're the sassy sardonic friend it's it's it's it's an archetype nothing like a bridesmaid's dress to have a subtle sheen of desperation to any party works for you Oh total spirit but I realized that that even within that archetype it was it was very very limiting and so I went back into television because I just want to practice every were doing this with grace the the the audition was like I just want to practice auditioning as much as possible like I I need to swing the bat you know I mean so that season I was like eyes on us in the back I don't care I don't care if I get a job I just want to swing the bat I just want to swing the bat because I'm I I can't wait around to you know play this ass the sardonic friend which that doesn't have a very good character I actually first went in for the character of dr. Bailey which I don't think a lot of people know and like when that came it way you know I came in scrubs I go all the way with my auditions and I mean the idea of the of dr. Bailey not being Chandra Wilson it's just it's it's just insane so I remember auditioning and then they're saying okay we're gonna continue on with the audition is us dr. Bailey and this was a change in point for me in in my just growth as an artist and I'm like I don't want to play dr. Bailey I don't want to play I did so I was like I don't want to play this part I don't want to play this part of authority I didn't want to play it and then I was looking at the script timer what else is open they said this part of Cristina who is the Nemesis to mérida gray you screw you I don't get paid for surgeries because I slept with my boss and I didn't get into med school because I have a famous mother you know some of this a bit funny what we get I'm like that that's the good part and and I said that and it's like if you guys want me to audition for dr. Bailey that's fine but I'm not going to do it but I would like to come in and for Cristina and they said okay and and it was it was great because I remember then just going in for a test so you know when you test for a pilot it's kind of like the last you know you meet the network and all that stuff it's like the last part of the process but also what happens that you have to sign your deal before you have this you have to agree before you get the part so I came in and I I actually just kind of did a like a little work through with Shonda and Betsy and the director Peter Horton and and I just got all the kinks out and they said take right and then my um and then I left I didn't do the final audition because business-wise they wouldn't make my deal so I walked away from it I walked away from it god bless little OE god bless little early and got bust by the agents I would I walked away from it because it was not right and then they and then I got the part the point being is I was practicing asking for what I wanted and I was willing to walk away from it that was definitely for me a changing point where I can I can say for the points in my career when I've made an active I am only now going to audition for parts that are that are essential to the plot I remember making that decision somewhere in my late 20s otherwise there's no point in you being in a part of this now I will only audition for things that I now I'm going to be in a place in my life where I'm asking for what I want and be okay if it doesn't happen I want to be this type of person and you know before year you are it you have to envision it you have to kind of practice it you have to act it out and so I think that was the ad that was the active part of it

Channel: The Inclusive

Views: 1,311,546

Keywords: Sandra Oh, Greys Anatomy, Korean, Hollywood, Feminist

Id: Rnu8LShfBqA

Length: 5min 1sec (301 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 22 2020