Brooke Bunny
It was announced today that Sandra Oh, who plays Dr. Cristina Yang on stethoscopes n’ soap series “Grey’s Anatomy” (and has since day one), is packing her bags.
“Creatively, I really feel like I gave it my all, and I feel ready to let her go,” an emotional Oh told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s such an interesting thing to play a character for so long and to actually get the sense that she wants to be let go as well. [Cristina] wants to be let go, and I am ready to let her go. We have to start the process, story-wise, for the Grey’s writers to think of why she’s going to go.”
Kevin McKidd, who played Oh’s on-screen love interest (spunky red-haired medical practitioner with kilt under his whites!), tells The Hollywood Reporter that he’ll be staying put. He’s sad his ‘Cristina’ is moving on though.
“Sandra and I have been friends for as long as we’ve worked together, so I had a feeling it might be coming and that it was the right time for her. Selfishly, I was hoping and wishing she might make a different choice and decide to stay because I love working with her. I’ve had the great fortune and luck to be her acting partner and for her to be my acting partner for the last half a decade. It wasn’t a surprise; I was aware of where she’s at but was wishing and hoping that despite all that she might stick around so I might get to still act with her. It wasn’t a surprise, but I was still sad when she told me.”
McKidd hasn’t been told how Cristina will exit the series.
“I really don’t know how it ends or how it’s going to be structured. I trust in the writers and the work that they’ve done with Cristina and Owen; it’s never going to play out the way you expect it to. It’s always going to be a surprise. They always make these quite interesting choices in life for Cristina and Owen, and that’s what we’ve enjoyed in playing the characters as a couple and why the audience has responded to them. I don’t know what the nuts and bolts of it will be but it will be a tough day. I remember when Kim Raver’s Teddy left and Owen had to fire her. That was one of the toughest scenes I had to play emotionally because Kim is a friend. Sandra has been my ultimate acting partner in my career — and I’ve been fortunate to work with many great actors — but Sandra is at the top of that list as a co-acting partner, and she’ll remain at the top of my list for a long time to come.”
“One of the best days of my life as a writer happened the day Sandra Oh walked in my door to audition and forever changed the course of Grey’s Anatomy with her brilliant, nuanced portrayal of Cristina Yang,” series creator/showrunner Rhimes says. “Over the past 10 seasons, I have been made better by Sandra’s trust, faith and friendship, and I can’t quantify how grateful I am for her collaboration on a character we both love so deeply. This year is going to be bittersweet for us — we’re both going to savor every moment of Cristina Yang, and then we’re going to give her the exit she deserves. And when Sandra walks out of my door, Grey’s Anatomy will once again be forever changed.”
Oh, who had a good little film career going for herself around the time “Grey’s” hit the air, will appear on screen until the end of Season 10.
