Sandra Oh revealed whether she follows Grey's Anatomy after having played the key character Cristina Yang for 10 seasons. Oh left the medical drama at the end of Grey’s Anatomy season 10, with Cristina leaving for Switzerland to lead the Klausman Institute for Medical Research as Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Unlike other Grey’s Anatomy stars reprising their roles for short arcs or single episodes, Oh never returned as Cristina Yang to Grey’s Anatomy after her exit, even if the medical drama gave updates about Cristina, via messages to Meredith or letters in support of her at Meredith’s medical board hearing.
At the Gold House 4th Annual Gold Gala, Sandra Oh revealed to People whether she watches Grey's Anatomy. Unsurprisingly, the actor has politely shared that she doesn't really revisit her breakout network TV role, even though the Shonda Rhimes hit is available to stream on Hulu. Read Oh's comments below:
I gotta tell you, I've put that gently aside.
What Sandra Oh’s Comment Means For Cristina Yang In Grey's Anatomy
Oh Made It Clear Grey's Anatomy Is Firmly In Her Past
Sandra Oh’s comment reiterates how playing Cristina Yang is firmly behind her. Oh repeatedly insisted she wouldn’t return to Grey’s Anatomy over the years, and putting the medical drama “gently aside” checks out with what she always maintained about a possible return. This is especially true considering that Oh revealed the reason for leaving Grey’s Anatomy had to do with feeling that, creatively, she had given her all to Cristina, making a potential return futile if she believed Cristina’s story was done. In a recent interview, Oh weakened her “hard no” stance on returning as Cristina Yang.
Still, while Oh might have opposed a return less categorically due to how it impacted her leaving Grey’s Anatomy, effectively opening up to a potential return if Cristina returning were in service to the story, it still meant Oh wouldn’t want to reprise her acclaimed role in the medical drama. Oh’s comment about not revisiting old episodes of Grey’s Anatomy falls in line with what she always claimed, thus making this statement only the last in a long line of comments stating that Oh wouldn’t be willing to reprise her role as Cristina Yang.
Our Take On Cristina Yang’s Story & Her Potential Return
Cristina’s Happily-Ever-After Makes A Potential Return Pointless
Compared to other characters’ exits, who ended up brutally killed, Cristina’s gave the character a happily-ever-after, as it described her not only moving to greener pastures, but also putting her career first, something wholly in alignment with how Grey’s Anatomy always portrayed Cristina. This alone wouldn’t warrant a Cristina return, as doing so could endanger her, considering how many Grey’s Anatomy episodes included shocking disasters where doctors died. Oh’s comment reminding how the medical drama is in her rearview could thus be a good thing for Cristina’s story too.
Cristina’s return could nonetheless make sense in one instance only. Whenever Grey’s Anatomy ends, and depending on the context of the medical drama ending storyline, Cristina returning could make a full-circle moment possible, especially if Grey’s Anatomy were to end by focusing on Grey Sloan Memorial’s legacy. Such a story would make a Cristina Yang return to Grey’s Anatomy rewarding, while also not undermining the happily-ever-after Cristina got with her exit storyline.
Source: People
