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20 Little-Known Details About Grey’s Anatomy Star Sandra Oh

Most television fans know exactly who television superstar Sandra Oh is. After all, she spent several seasons playing the incomparable Dr. Cristina Yang on the smash hit Grey's Anatomy. On paper, Yang seems like the type of character who everyone would dislike. After all, she's abrasive, she aggressive, she's incredibly ambitious, and she's not afraid to speak her mind.

However, Oh delivered a character that fans couldn't help but fall in love with. And yes, a large part of that was the writing—but an equally large part was Oh and her skill as an actress.

She finally felt like her time on the show was up, and decided to leave to pursue other projects. She appeared in a few roles over the years, including a few movies, before she got another huge television role in Killing Eve. Whether she's on television or on the big screen, Oh excels at bringing characters to life—and fans are so glad the world got to meet her thanks to Dr. Cristina Yang.

Superfans of Grey's Anatomy may know everything there is to know about Yang, but what about the woman who plays her? Here are 20 things viewers may not have known about the talented and gorgeous Sandra Oh.

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20 She Got Her Start On Stage As A Ballet Dancer

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Sandra Oh just has a certain grace about her when she's on screen or on the red carpet, a way she carries herself—and, it turns out, that's likely from all her years as a dancer.

She started taking ballet lessons when she was just four years old because she had a bit of a strange walk and her parents hoped that dance would help correct it.

She completely fell in love with being on stage, and by the time she was in her teenage years, she was pursuing all kinds of performing gigs on television, in theatre and more.

19 She's Multi-Lingual And Speaks Four Languages

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As an actress, it's always ideal to stand out from the crowd—after all, when you're in competition with hundreds of other actresses for a particular role, you want something that sets you apart! For Oh, that just might be her linguistic skills. In addition to English, which is obviously the primary language she acts in, she speaks fluent Korean, French, and Spanish. So, if there's ever a character she wants that needs to know how to converse in any of those languages, she won't need to work with a coach—she's all set! Also, can we talk about how impressive it is that she speaks not one, not two or three, but four languages? Amazing.

18 Her Parents Didn't Like The Idea Of Her Becoming An Actress

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Celebrities who have parents that were involved in the entertainment industry might have an easier time convincing them about their dream of becoming an actor or actress. Oh had a different experience. Her father was a businessman and her mother was a biochemist, which means they expected their daughter to follow a similar path—not veer off into the world of the arts. As she told Marie Claire, her parents "didn't see that there was any meaning to being an actor. It was like 'what are you doing for society?'... they were classic immigrants — they wanted their children to become doctors or lawyers." Luckily, they still supported her, and are proud red carpet staples now.

17 She's The Only Person In Her Family Without An Advanced Degree

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Oh has certainly achieved a great deal of success over the years—but according to her, it's a much different type of success than the rest of her family has achieved.

She's actually the only member of her family who didn't go on to pursue an advanced degree.

Though she did go to the National Theatre School in Canada, which is prestigious, she didn't get a law degree, like her sister, or a Ph.D., like her brother. Although, after playing a doctor for so many years, we'd bet she has at least as much knowledge as a first or second-year medical student at this point, just from exposure to all the scenes year after year.

16 She Is The First Asian Woman To Be Nominated For A Leading Actress In A Drama Series Emmy

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Oh was nominated for the prestigious Emmy award several times for her role as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy, but since that was considered a supporting role, that's the type of nomination she received.

On the show Killing Eve, she was considered a leading actress, so when nominations season rolled around that's exactly where she was up for nomination.

And, she made history by becoming the first ever woman of Asian descent to be nominated for an Emmy in the lead actress in a drama series category. Talk about an impressive achievement! She must have been so proud to shatter that barrier.

15 She Has A Famous Ex In The Industry

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Sandra Oh isn't one of those actresses who is constantly in the tabloids, having her relationships and love life discussed. It's because she prefers to keep a lot of that private—although that isn't always possible when you're dating someone also involved in the entertainment industry, as she found out with her marriage.

Oh ended up tying the knot with Academy Award-winning writer and director Alexander Payne back in 2003, after they had dated for five years.

They made a few red carpet appearances together, but just a few years later in 2006, they divorced for good—it just didn't work out. Since then, Oh has been quite private about her personal life.

14 She's From Canada, And Was Born And Raised In Ontario

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Oh obviously had to relocate to sunny California when Grey's Anatomy was filming—you want a home base close to set when you're on a show for years on end. However, Oh was born and raised in Nepean, a suburb of Ottawa. And, she even pursued her profession in Canada for quite a few years before eventually realizing she needed to make the move to Los Angeles to really throw herself into the game and be considered for roles. Still, perhaps that's one of the reasons she's so humble—she had a regular upbringing in Canada.

13 She Once Won The Lottery, Which Helped Her Keep Pursuing Her Dreams

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When you think of a lottery winner, chances are, you think of those select few who win prices that are tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. While Oh never snagged a jackpot quite that large, she did win the lottery once in the '90s and managed to pocket a cool $5,000.

It probably seems like a small amount to her now, but at the time, she was completely broke and that little boost gave her exactly what she needed to keep pursuing her dream of becoming an actress.

Sometimes, life has a funny way of showing you motivation and inspiration just when you need it the most.

12 She Runs All Her Own Social Media Accounts

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Social media is a bit of a strange thing for celebrities. On the one hand, it's a great way to connect with fans and show a more personal side of you to the world. However, it's also a great way to build your brand and promote projects, which means that many celebrities' managers likely weigh in on their social media adventures. Some celebs even entrust their accounts to members of their team—but not Sandra Oh. Though she's not totally active on social media, she does post from time to time, and she's assured her fans that it's always actually her doing the posting.

11 Her Middle Name Means "Pretty Pearl" In Korean

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Sandra Oh's full name is actually Sandra Miju Oh. It's an absolutely gorgeous name, and even more so once you find out what her middle name means—it's Korean for "pretty pearl."

I mean, could you think of a more fitting name for the breathtaking star?

Her first name is certainly Canadian, but we absolutely love that her parents opted for a middle name that really paid tribute to her Korean heritage. Oh herself is very outspoken about where she comes from and why that's important to her, so it's nice that her middle name really pays tribute to that part of her identity.

10 Her Parents Came To Canada From South Korea In The '60s

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Sandra Oh may have grown up in a quiet Canadian suburb, but her parents had a totally different experience in life. They both lived in South Korea for the first two decades of their lives and ended up emigrating to Canada when they were both in their 20s, in the early 1960s. They came to Canada to study and ended up absolutely loving it and opting to stay and raise a family here. So, Oh had her feet in two different worlds growing up—Korea, where her parents were from and her heritage was shaped, and Canada, where her family was living and thriving. It must have been a unique experience.

9 She Was Part Of The National Champion Canadian Improv Team In High School

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There are some actors and actresses who can really only do comedies, and others who can only do more serious dramas—Sandra Oh is a total chameleon who excels at literally any role she takes on. Over the course of her time on Grey's Anatomy, she made audiences both laugh and cry, time and time again. And, it turns out, it may be because she was diverse when it came to training as an actor. She did go to the National Theatre School to hone her craft but also had fun thinking creatively on the fly as a member of the National Champion Canadian Improv Team. We wouldn't have pegged her as a improv person!

8 She Wanted To Take Several Things From The Grey's Anatomy Set — But Could Only Take One!

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When you spend so many years of your life on one show and one set playing one character, it's only natural that you become a little bit attached and want to make sure you have a way to remember all those years.

Even before she was considering leaving the show, Oh was honest about the fact that there were quite a few props from the show that she really hoped she could take one day, including her scrubs and stethoscope.

However, when the time came to actually leave, ABC only let her take one thing—and we have to admit, we're super curious about what it was!

7 Her Parents Are Extremely Religious

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There are some celebrities who were raised in very religious households that end up becoming quite religious themselves as adults, and then there are some who go the opposite way and become atheists when they're adults. While Oh isn't an atheist, and still considers herself a spiritual person, she certainly can't match her parents' faith—they're very religious and were incredibly active in the community when she was growing up. Oh seems to be very respectful of her parents' beliefs and attitudes towards the world, even if they don't completely line up with the way she sees the world, which we love.

6 She Originally Read For The Part Of Miranda Bailey

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We can't imagine anyone playing Dr. Cristina Yang quite as well as Sandra Oh did, season after season, but did you know that she initially auditioned for a completely different role on the show? At first, Oh read for the role of Miranda Bailey.

However, she soon realized that Bailey wasn't the character she wanted to play—she wanted to play the antagonistic and endlessly fascinating Dr. Yang.

So, she actually gathered up her courage and walked out of the screen tests for Bailey in the hopes of being called in for the role of Yang. Luckily, the producers and casting team saw something special in her and ended up casting her as their Cristina.

5 She Got A Major Role For A TV Movie When She Was Still In Acting School

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Many students in acting school dream of auditioning for roles successfully and actually getting them—but for Oh, it was a reality. While she was studying and learning all about the craft of acting, she auditioned for the leading role in a biopic about poet Evelyn Lau. She was in competition with about 3,000 other women, many who were far more experienced than she was, but the casting team and director just ended up seeing something in the 19-year-old aspiring actress—and she got the role! She actually ended up getting a Cannes FIPA d'Or nomination for her performance. Talk about an impressive way to kick off your resume!

4 She Got The Key To Her Hometown In 2013

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Having a celebrity grow up in Los Angeles likely doesn't count for much to the mayor of Los Angeles—after all, there are so many of them!

However, to a small Canada suburb that doesn't have many famous residents, it's a much bigger deal—which is exactly why the Ottawa mayor Jim Watson ended up giving Oh the Key to the City in 2013 for all her accomplishments.

Oh grew up in a small suburb outside of Ottawa, and gushed about the experience, saying that "I'm looking forward to seeing all my friends and all those who I haven't seen in many years and to figure out what this key to the city opens."

3 She Turned Down A Journalism Scholarship To Go To Theatre School

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Okay, you know now that Sandra Oh went to theatre school rather than pursue an advanced degree in some other subject, but did you know that she actually turned down a scholarship to study journalism at Carleton University? Despite a scholarship being the easier path, Oh knew that acting was what was in her heart, so she rejected the offer and instead opted to pay her own way at the National Theatre School. It's definitely a risky move and would have been sad if it didn't pay off—but, luckily for Oh, it did! She ended up building a successful profession as an actress and likely hasn't thought twice about having to pay for her theatre school education.

2 She Doesn't Consider Herself A Celebrity

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There are many celebrities who have a bit of a sense of entitlement, who seem to think they're better than everyone else simply because of what they do for a living. Sandra Oh isn't one of them.

She's commented before that she really doesn't consider herself a celebrity—she considers herself an actress and artist, and the rest are just extras that come with the territory.

She doesn't really discuss her personal life in interviews, she doesn't live in the Hollywood Hills where many other celebs do, and she doesn't dine at the trendiest restaurants where the paparazzi are always waiting outside. Apart from red carpet events, she leads a relatively normal life.

1 She Does Quite A Bit Of Voiceover Work

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Fans know that Sandra Oh is incredibly talented in front of the camera, but did you know she also has a flair for being in the recording booth? Oh has done quite a bit of voiceover work over the years in addition to all her roles as a regular screen actress, lending her voice to series like Robot Chicken, American Dad, Peg + Cat, and Phineas and Ferb. Given how expressive her voice is, it doesn't surprise us one bit—she seems like she'd be a total natural at voiceover work. Plus, we have to imagine, it's probably a nice change of pace from regular acting.

Sources: Vulture, Marie Claire

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