There is no secret that Sandra Oh is one of thebest A-list actressesin the current film and television climate. With her ability to select a script, she consistently portrays strong female characters with ease and excitement. Viewers find themselves transfixed in the story that she is helping to tell in every single one of her acting credits which is ultimately a testament to her.
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Her legacy is not only that she is a great actor but that she transgressed the entertainment industry with hard work and immense dedication. Whilst she helped fight against stereotypical roles for Asian actors, her wide and expansive acting caliber broke barriers for Asian women in the entertainment industry in particular. These films demonstrate the best of Oh’s stellar performances.
Warning: Possible spoilers ahead!
6The Diary of Evelyn Lau (1994)
This film comes with a trigger warning for adult themes, abuse, and addiction.
This Canadian television film sees Sandra Oh in her first major on-screen role as teenager and aspiring writer Evelyn Lau. Based on real-life Evelyn Lau’s book, the film recounts how the young Evelyn Wong runs away from home and her strict mother and turns to drugs and prostitution, ultimately writing a book about her journey.
Despite being on a journey of self-discovery, Evelyn is vulnerable at first. There are plenty of harrowing scenes that are difficult to watch, and Oh performs these impeccably and with such complex emotion. So much happens in such a short space of time, which attests to the beauty of writing that her story strives to convey.
5Ming Lee - Turning Red (2022)
This fun 2022Pixaranimated filmsaw Sandra Oh portray Ming Lee, the protagonist Mei Lee’s overbearing mother. Ming has to confront the knowledge that her daughter will become a giant red panda and the overwhelming antics that this entails, plus plenty of twists along the way. With family tradition and honor at the center of this masterpiece,Turning Redbroke barriers for portraying a Chinese-Canadian family with comedy, dignity, and plenty of emotion.
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Turning Redbreaks barriers for a myriad of reasons but ultimately sees Oh excel assupporting characterMing by being the primary adult figure in Mei’s life. Her ability to vocally convey a mother anxious about her teenage child growing up is heart-warming and hilarious of equal measure.
4Ji-Yoon Kim - The Chair (2021)
In one of her more recent acting roles, Sandra Oh shines in a unique protagonist role as a professor who struggles to head a failing college department. With Oh having a clever ability to choose characters that are vastly different from each other, the character of Ji-Yoon Kim’s storyline is complex, comedic, and catastrophic as she navigates the relationships in her life.
With her outstanding performance aside, it is fantastic to see Oh portray a character that is extremely intelligent, multilingual withKorean heritage, and passionate about her subject. Plus, her outfits are absolutely fabulous. Within a backdrop of entrenched ageism, whitewashing, and sexism within academia, it is a shame thatThe Chairwill not be renewed byNetflix, so fans of the show will not be able to see what happens to Ji-Yoon next.
3Vice Principal Gupta - The Princess Diaries (2001)
Unforgettably iconic, Sandra Oh portraying Vice Principal Gupta back in 2001, added to her already established ability to create an exaggerated comedy performance in the mainstream film industry. Working at the school where the newly famous Mia, Princess of Genovia, is discovered to be the heir to the Genovian throne, Gupta cannot contain herself in the presence of royalty.
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There are plenty ofmeme-worthy scenesfeaturing Oh, particularly concerning how she interacts with co-stars Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews. Although she only features in the film for a little over a couple of minutes, her ‘fangirl’ demeanor ensures that her character becomes memorable way beyond supporting actor status.
2Eve Polastri - Killing Eve (2018-2022)
Unforgettable as the spy who loved Villanelle, Sandra Oh dominated both UK and US screens in the hit BBC showKilling Eve.Perhaps a unique role for Oh, the show’s four seasons saw her enact a cat-and-mouse chase with fellow co-star Jodie Comer, with her character Eve learning more about herself as well as the murderous assassin along the way.
With Oh and Comer’s chemistry undeniable, fans fell in love with Eve’s story. Oh’s characterization is well delivered as she continues to havefantastic comedic timingon screen. With her observant and obsessive nature concerning her job, by contrast, she remains bitterly overwhelmed by Villanelle.
1Cristina Yang - Grey’s Anatomy (2005- )
Arguably the role that she is recognized for the most, Sandra Oh broke so many barriers with her characterization of Cristina Yang. Portraying a young antagonist character with ambition and anger to fuel her work, her tough love approach made her an incredible friend to protagonist Meredith.
When Oh left the show in 2013, after having completed ten seasons, showrunner Shonda Rhimes ensured that Cristina Yang’s character was giventhe perfect ending. This was a character that had gone on a journey from student to master and had nothing further to learn.
