If you ask Sandra Oh, PixarB次元官网网址檚 spotlight on the emotional tumult of a Chinese-Canadian girlB次元官网网址檚 entry into puberty in B次元官网网址淭urning RedB次元官网网址� is a turning point B次元官网网址� not just for Hollywood and its growing platform for underrepresented stories, but for her own career.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 just so thrilled to be part of a Pixar family unit,B次元官网网址� a smiling Oh says in a recent video call from Toronto before attending the filmB次元官网网址檚 Canadian premiere.
Part of her happiness, Oh says, is that B次元官网网址淭urning RedB次元官网网址� is a sign of change, and that makes it a B次元官网网址減oint of celebration.B次元官网网址�
She plays Ming, the incredibly loving but equally overprotective mother of 13-year-old Mei.
For the Ottawa-born actress, it was imperative that Ming be culturally accurate, minus any whiff of stereotype. She was keen to veer away from the controlling Asian B次元官网网址渢iger momB次元官网网址� persona.
B次元官网网址淢ing is a full-fledged character,B次元官网网址� says Oh. B次元官网网址淢y experience with my mother is not so much like Ming, who can be seen as overprotective and embarrasses her daughter really intensely. My mother was an extremely demanding person in other ways.
B次元官网网址淏ut for me, as I always have tried to my entire career, to bring a full humanity to each character, itB次元官网网址檚 the truth, the authenticity and the feeling behind a character that will resonate with the audience no matter what the situation is. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what will always matter most.B次元官网网址�
The filmB次元官网网址檚 Toronto-bred director Domee Shi says that commitment to authenticity is why she believes B次元官网网址渘o one else could have played Ming,B次元官网网址� dubbing Oh B次元官网网址渢he queenB次元官网网址� of the set.
B次元官网网址淲e knew we needed an actress who had a huge range, who could play a character who is sharp and fierce, also funny, warm, loving, a little kooky and crazy,B次元官网网址� says Shi.
B次元官网网址淏ut also who could ground all of that in a way that really makes the audience empathize with her and that could have only been Sandra. She added so much depth.B次元官网网址�
Oh admits to only recently recognizing her own dexterity with such complex roles, not to mention the fact Hollywood had taken note as well. When she was offered a part in the BBC/Bravo series B次元官网网址淜illing Eve,B次元官网网址� she says she couldnB次元官网网址檛 deduce which character they wanted her for.
That was well after spending nearly a decade playing Dr. Cristina Yang in ABC/CTVB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淕reyB次元官网网址檚 Anatomy,B次元官网网址� and earning five Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe. After which, Oh made it known, few job offers came her way.
So when it came to B次元官网网址淜illing Eve,B次元官网网址� Oh automatically assumed she was not being considered for the headstrong lead B次元官网网址� a role that would bring her a second Golden Globe Award B次元官网网址� citing an internal bias sheB次元官网网址檚 had to work hard to undo.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 complex,B次元官网网址� Oh explains. B次元官网网址淭hat moment of internalized racism, IB次元官网网址檓 not holding that all the time. What I think is important about the past two years, as a lot of people have come to the forefront with the demand for racial justice and racial reckoning, is you have to take a look at whatB次元官网网址檚 going on inside yourself.B次元官网网址�
Even after considerable onscreen success, Oh says those issues were not easy to confront.
B次元官网网址淔or me, it was how unconscious that thinking was, even though I spent most of my career trying to unhook myself from it. ThatB次元官网网址檚 how deep it goes.B次元官网网址�
As the final season of B次元官网网址淜illing EveB次元官网网址� comes to a close in April, Oh continues to take the lead: in 2021B次元官网网址檚 Netflix series B次元官网网址淭he Chair,B次元官网网址� she stars as the first woman of colour to head a university English department, and in the upcoming Sam Raimi-produced horror movie B次元官网网址淯mma,B次元官网网址� she plays a Korean-American mother afraid her own mother has begun to haunt her.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e always felt that I was a lead, (but) we need to hold all these things at the same time B次元官网网址� I canB次元官网网址檛 see myself because of internalized racism, patriarchy and all the things that we are all under the spell of,B次元官网网址� she says.
B次元官网网址淲hat IB次元官网网址檓 happy about is that IB次元官网网址檓 now able to really experience a careerB次元官网网址檚 worth of work being put out into the world. IB次元官网网址檝e only started to really be gratified about that.B次元官网网址�
It helps, too, that Oh has been instrumental in shaping her charactersB次元官网网址� stories and lending them her own Korean background, as an executive producer on B次元官网网址淜illing Eve,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淭he ChairB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淯mma.B次元官网网址�
Even with the latter, a psychological thriller, Oh was thrilled to see her own heritage and all its cultural complexities granted a big-budget platform.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a pity, because hereB次元官网网址檚 a Pixar film where I play a hypervigilant, loving mom doing her best, and then B次元官网网址楿mmaB次元官网网址� is a horror movie about a mother who maybe is not trying her best,B次元官网网址� says Oh with a laugh.
But, she adds, B次元官网网址淭hey have a similarity. YouB次元官网网址檙e talking about intergenerational trauma, the trauma of immigration; those were the things that we were trying to explore and thatB次元官网网址檚 rare.B次元官网网址�
It all hearkens back to the 2018 Emmy Awards when Oh was the first Asian woman to be nominated for lead actress. Although she didnB次元官网网址檛 win, she made a statement that evening that would become splashed across T-shirts: B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 an honour just to be Asian.B次元官网网址�
Although the Toronto-set B次元官网网址淭urning RedB次元官网网址� manages to knit together multiple cultural touchpoints for Oh, she rejects the notion sheB次元官网网址檚 come full circle.
B次元官网网址淚 wouldnB次元官网网址檛 use the metaphor of circle because it closes,B次元官网网址� she says, forming a wave with her hands.
B次元官网网址淚 feel like my career is more of a wavy line. And hopefully itB次元官网网址檒l just continue moving upwards and outwards.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址擲adaf Ahsan, The Canadian Press
