Although Sandra Ohโs Dr. Cristina Yang hasnโt stepped foot in a Seattle hospital for over a decade, the beloved character still has a huge impact on longtime โGreyโs Anatomyโ fans.
Though the 55-year-old actor, who has repeatedly confirmed throughout the years that she will never return to the show, still has a soft spot for her character. During her latest podcast appearance on the July 28 episode of โDinnerโs On Me with Jesse Tyler Fergusonโ, Oh discussed her characterโs connection to fans, sharing one particularly memorable interaction.
She told host and actore Jesse Tyler Ferguson that โyoung peopleโ approach her โall the timeโ to praise her โGreyโs Anatomyโ character. For example, last year, when Oh was performing in the opera โLa Fille du Rรฉgimentโ at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, she chatted with a fan who had a meaningful story to share.
โShe came up to me and she goes, โI have to tell you something,โโ Oh recalled. โShe was saying, โ10 years ago I was watching your show and I was going to get married to this guy and he didnโt want me to work. He was like, Iโll take care of you, blah blah blah.โ And she was quoting this scene.โ
Oh told Ferguson that the fan went on to describe how much one particular episode, along with the character of Cristina Yang, impacted the fan to make a drastic life change.
โAnd she goes, โI left him. I became a lawyer.โโ
Oh said that just a few moments into the interaction, she knew the exact scene the fan was describing. She remembered a Season 10 episode in which Cristinaโs ex-fiancรฉ Preston Burke, portrayed by Isaiah Washington, returned with a job opportunity for her all the way in Switzerland. Cristina had assumed that her ex-beau was offering her a position to work with him at the Klausman Institute for Medical Research in Zurich. Instead, Preston offered her the chance to helm the institute.
In the season, which ended up May 2014, Cristina made a major move, eventually deciding to pack her bags and leave Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital for the new opportunity.
Oh said she approved of the fanโs decision and also gave her some sage advice.
โI was just like, โGood for you. Whatever was going on in your life, it was not enough. And that guy who was saying that you are not going to be who youโre going to be and fulfill your destiny and go become a lawyer. Leave that,โโ she recalled telling the fan.
Oh said the conversation emphasized her role as an actor and the power of good storytelling.
โWhat we need to do is just plant seeds for things to grow, that hopefully some young woman when sheโs, like, 25 decides, โFโ that sโ man. Iโm going to leave you and Iโm going to become my own woman and be in charge of my life and not depend on you.โโ
Oh portrayed the fan-favorite surgeon for 10 seasons before departing the medical drama. During Ohโs time on the show, she earned one Golden Globe and two Screen Actors Guild awards.
โGreyโs Anatomyโ continues to run and will return for its 23rd season in the fall.
The actor has previously mentioned how much she values Cristina Yang and the characterโs lasting impact.
In May 2021, Oh said on the Los Angeles Timesโ โAsian Enoughโ podcast that it was โrareโ to see Cristina Yang remain relevant in pop culture years later.
She also explained why she does not want to reprise the role.
โI left that show, my God, seven years ago almost,โ she said at the time. โSo in my mind, itโs gone. But for a lot of people itโs still very much alive. And while I understand and I love it, I have moved on.โ
During her talk with Ferguson, Oh also revealed the decision to move on came after Season 9 when creator Shonda Rhimes pulled her aside and asked if she wanted to stay on the show. Oh took some time to contemplate her decision and followed her โcreative being.โ
โI felt very much like I did my job. I really did my job. I feel like I created a full character. I feel I grew the character 10 years time where itโs a believable growth,โ Oh explained. โAnd the privilege was to actually plan an exit.โ
She called it a โgiftโ from the showโs writers to give her character a thoughtful sendoff.
