Do we like Sandra Oh?
Our score: 8 out of 10. A clean record and public support for others, but the evidence on LGBTQ+ and climate issues is thin.
Sandra Oh grew up in Nepean, an Ottawa suburb, the child of Korean parents who weren't keen on her acting. She danced from age four, joined a high school comedy troupe, went to the National Theatre School in Montreal and was working professionally by 15. Her breakthrough was the 1993 CBC film The Diary of Evelyn Lau, then Double Happiness.
Then came Hollywood: Arli$$, Sideways, nearly a decade as Dr Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy, and Killing Eve, which won her a Golden Globe. She's also co-produced an animated film, Window Horses. It's a long, steady run rather than a flash in the pan.
On the harm test, we found nothing bad from her own mouth or in her choices. In 2019 she took to Twitter to praise NBC for sacking comedian Shane Gillis over resurfaced podcast remarks, and she questioned how SNL had vetted him. In 2021 she turned up unannounced at a Stop Asian Hate rally in Pittsburgh after the Atlanta spa shootings and led the crowd in a chant of pride.
She's not shy about calling out the industry either. Back in July 2025 she went on Stephen Colbert's show and wished “a plague on both of your houses” on CBS and Paramount over the cancellation of The Late Show. Fans of Colbert cheered, while CBS's Tony Dokoupil said it was a business decision rather than a political one.
This year she's been open about the cost of being a trailblazer. Speaking ahead of the HBO documentary The A List, she recalled an industry mood of trying to sneak Asian faces in without anyone noticing, and said she hopes that has passed. She's also reportedly lined up for the Daniels' next film opposite Matt Damon.
The good stuff is the career itself: Golden Globes, SAGs, induction into Canada's Walk of Fame and, in 2022, an Officer of the Order of Canada. More to the point, she keeps using her platform for other people. Verdict: yes, an easy one to like.