Even 12 years later, "Grey's Anatomy" fans are still not over Dr. Cristina Yang's exit.
In a July 28 episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson's "Dinner On Me" podcast, Sandra Oh explained when she came to the decision to leave the medical drama she had starred on for a decade.
The "Killing Eve" actress, 55, revealed that at the end of either Season 8 or 9, she had spoken with series creator Shonda Rhimes about whether she would keep playing the beloved cardiothoracic surgeon.
"She took me aside, 'cause we were all renegotiating, and she goes, 'What do you want to do?' And I said, 'Let me think about it.' And I really, really, really thought about it," she told Ferguson. "And it was, like, I felt very much like I did my job. I created a full character. I feel
I grew the character over 10 years, where it's believable growth."
While major characters were abruptly written off when an actor left the show, the Golden Globe-winning actress explained that she had the privilege of working with Rhimes to plan a perfect exit.
Throughout Season 10, Yang comes close to her dream of winning the prestigious Harper Avery Award, undergoes a painful end to her season-long relationship with Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd), becomes the Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery of an innovative research center in Switzerland and shares a heartfelt goodbye to her soulmate Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo).
"The privilege was to actually plan an exit. And all the writers to be able to plan these to support that. And I know that it's extremely rare to have. So that was a real, real gift," she added.
Will Sandra Oh ever come back to 'Grey's Anatomy'?
Oh has repeatedly dismissed plans to return to "Grey's Anatomy" even as a guest star, though she'll never stop being asked about it.
In a May 2021 appearance on the Los Angeles Times‘ "Asian Enough" podcast, she said, "I left that show, my God, seven years ago almost. So in my mind, it’s gone."
In 2024, she told Entertainment Tonight that Yang will always hold a special place in her heart but that fans should not expect her to return to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital anytime soon.
"She was ready to move on, and so have I," she said.
Since leaving "Grey's," Oh has starred in several major projects, including crime thriller "Killing Eve," which landed her four more Emmy nominations, "The Chair" and "The Sympathizer." She won her first Emmy as a producer for her work in the TV movie "Quiz Lady," where she costars alongside Awkwafina.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Grey's Anatomy' star Sandra Oh reveals real reason for exiting show
