Oh stayed with Grey’s Anatomy through season 10, when she opted to exit the show. On-screen, Cristina decided to move to Switzerland to head up a research hospital. In the years since, Meredith and other characters have periodically referenced her and implied she’s doing well. Though Oh hasn’t returned to Grey’s Anatomysince her initial departure in 2014, a stand-in for her was used in the season 11 episode “She’s Leaving Home,” where Cristina comforts Meredith at Derek’s funeral. Since leaving the show, Oh has arguably become even more well-known, starring in the critical darling Killing Eve and other high-profile projects. However, she does occasionally still discuss her time on Grey’s Anatomy.
As part of Variety‘s Actors on Actors series, Oh sat down for a conversation with Jung Ho-yeon. After asking the Squid Game starhow she’s handling the show’s success, Oh reflected on her experience when Grey’s Anatomyfirst became popular:
The thing that I think that is the closest is when Grey’s Anatomy came — my life changed very much. And it’s tricky to imagine, because this is almost 20 years ago, so the context is very different, but the stress is the same — or the confusion is the same. And I think that’s why my question to you is, how are you taking care of yourself? Because I feel like, honestly, I got sick. I think my whole body was very, very sick. Even though you keep on working, right? It’s just like, ‘Oh, I can’t sleep. Oh, my back hurts. I don’t know what’s wrong with my skin.’ I learned that I had to take care of my health first. But that’s not only your body, right? That is your soul. That is definitely your mind. You know what I mean? Because you can’t ultimately depend on anyone else. You have to somehow find it within yourself.
