Life keeps getting better for Sandra Oh. From making her mark as the co-host of the 2019 Golden Globes alongside actor Andy Samberg to stepping up to host Saturday Night Live, it’s been a history-making few months for the Killing Eve star.
But for those who are only now being introduced to the acting heavyweight, she’s far from an overnight success.
“I think it takes an entire career – in my case 30 years – to get to the point where you get this type of offer [to work on a show like Killing Eve],” Sandra explains to TV WEEK.
“I’ve been working for a long time. Now, I’m in the third decade of doing this work and I can see that in the response to my own career.”
“I think it takes an entire career,” Sandra says of scoring the lead role in Killing Eve (Image: ABC).
The actress isn’t wrong: despite 10 years in her Golden-Globe-winning role as Cristina Yang in Grey’s Anatomy and starring in 2004 black comedy film Sideways, Sandra’s time is now.
Not only did she win the Golden Globe for Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series – Drama, but it cemented her as the first actor of Asian descent to win multiple trophies.
“I will remember that night forever,” Sandra says. “It was kind of great, actually, because I was so focused on the hosting that I wasn’t thinking or nervous about my own category.”
In fact, the 47-year-old was so unprepared for her win, she hadn’t even written an acceptance speech.
“I heard my name as I stood backstage and was like, ‘Oh, I have to walk on stage and I hadn’t prepared anything,'” she recalls.
“But it [winning] was such a thrill. I brought my parents [to the awards] and it meant so much to be able to acknowledge them and thank them. It was a great feeling.”
The accolades are not only the rewards of her immense talent, but of the hard labour on set, particularly as her character, whip-smart intelligence officer, Eve Polastri, takes an emotional toll on the actress – even after the cameras stop rolling.
The first season was cloaked in darkness and there’s no sign of any light in round two. In fact, it’s sure to get even darker after the dramatic climax that saw Eve come face-to-face with ruthless assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer).
“It’s tough,” Sandra says of playing the MI5 agent. “It goes dark, definitely for Eve’s character because she does have the weight of having crossed a certain line.
“As for coming home with it, I’m not the type of actor who can simply leave it behind; it’s just not the way I’m built. So I found that difficult too.
“But in the best of ways, Eve is really pushed to all the limits in this season – and I felt that way as well.”
Villanelle (Jodie Comer) and Eve (Sandra) in Killing Eve’s first season (Image: ABC).
New episodes of Killing Eve will air on ABC iview on Mondays from April 8, fast-tracked from the US. Episodes will air weekly on ABC from Friday, April 19.
