Sandra Oh On Finding Good Film Roles And Working On Grey's Anatomy

Last fall Sandra Oh did some interviews to promote Rabbit Hole and now we have one that was published on a Polish website in April earlier this year.

In this interview she talks about her role in Rabbit Hole, the difficulty of finding good roles in films and working on Grey's Anatomy after seven years.

As the interview was published in Polish, we've used Google Translate for the translation and tried to  clean it up a bit. The translation is rough, but you'll get the gist.

Sandra Oh, the star of TV series Grey's Anatomy, on the big screen is connected mainly with independent cinema, has created a very interesting supporting character in the film Rabbit Hole, alongside Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart. In an interview just for wp.pl actress talks about her choice of professional engineering work and indignant to undervalue the television production.

Magdalena Lankosz: In the play Rabbit Hole, which served as the basis for the screenplay Rabbit Hole is not as Gabby, that you play. Do you know how she found the film and how she was the lady?

Sandra Oh: Scenario I got mail and I opened it on my BlackBerry just to see how it began. In the middle of the text I found myself still sitting bent over the small screen on my cell and I could not tear myself away. It does not happen often. If you watch a lot of movies, you know well how difficult it is to find a good role these days, especially a good supporting role. I learned that, although the filmmakers involved in the project are in New York, the audition for the film was to be on the West Coast where I live and I knew I had to try everything to get "Rabbit Hole." I made myself with my trial kilak drama teacher, and then forced an actor friend [Kevin McKidd] to go with me to Santa Monica, at 5 PM on Friday.

No! That kind of request qualifies as a crime in Los Angeles!

SO: You live here so you understand that I was desperate, but for all readers who don't know Los Angeles, I must explain that this is one of the worst things that one can ask a man. Traffic on the highway is so busy that it qualifies for the Guinness Book of Records. But I meant it to come off best, and at auditions you often read the dialogue with a completely random person. I did not want a 20-year-old secretary reading the role of 40-year old man. I wanted to present a true actor.

How do you Nicole Kidman, who played a major role in the film?

SO: And produced this film. Extremely impressed with my people, who despite the great fame and big money deals for bending over young, not lucrative projects like this, because I believe that cinema should continue to talk about important things.

How did you prepare for the role of Gabby - a person whose child had died a decade ago, and she still goes to therapy for people in similar situations, still life only the start.

SO: I'm not an actress who would go to such therapies and try to learn the role of the people who actually met such a tragedy. It is for me too aggressive intervention in a very personal experience of others. If the actor does not play a role, where does affection, which allows him to play. What matters is that he feels something. The film's director has gone through a similar tragedy - he lost a brother and it probably helped him more fully immersed in the story told in "Rabbit Hole". I can recall the loss of work or a friend or a beloved dog. As long as I do it convincingly nobody cares what I thought playing.

You specialized in great supporting roles, but not in the limelight. Do you have an appetite for more, can be an accomplished professional actor with a career in the background?

It depends on what kind of person you are. There are those who would give their life to have a starring role, even if they have to deliver the world's dumbest dialogue. I'd rather have a smaller role, with dialogue which I'm proud of, as in the case of the Sideways or Rabbit Hole.

Do you have time to search for these delectable actor roles, working non-stop in Grey's Anatomy?

I still have two years left in my contract and I enjoy the time I spend in the series. Over the past year and a half working on it for me was more rewarding than ever stirred the seven years since I am working on Grey's Anatomy. I believe that the work is as an actor on a  TV series is undervalued.

Let's be honest: not everyone can play on television. Almost every actor will play three days here, a month there, not everyone knows how to work the character for years. For this you need talent and a great deck of spiritual and physical resilience. Television writers scenarios have years to fondle a scenario - they are the brightest people in the film business who can respond within a few hours walking continuously on a minefield in the form of all the bosses and TV producers.

Anyway, I do not think I'm losing so much not being in a movie. Things that interest me: emotionally intense roles, the story of loss, alienation, sadness are becoming increasingly rare in contemporary cinema.

It's surprising what you say. Most of the actors admit that they treat TV more as a state of transition in their careers.

I also had such moments. At a certain stage in the production of Grey's Anatomy the pressure was so great, overwork so it gave me a hard time that I became ill very hard and my had only thought was: "I've got to stop." The second and third season to remember it as hell. I think a lot of people involved in the series felt similarly. What saved us was the writers' strike - we all rested and returned to work as  completely different people.

Interview by Magdalena Lankosz-Michalsk

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If there are any Polish-speaking peeps out who'd like to make a correction to the translation, we'd love to hear from you. You can write in the comments or send us an e-mail (see contact details.)

Rabbit Hole: DVD Release

Rabbit Hole was released on DVD/Blu-Ray today, so those of you who haven't had a chance to see it earlier can finally check it out. Sandra Oh has a small, but interesting part in the movie.

This is the extraordinary story of Becca and Howie. Eight months ago, they had a picture-perfect life with their young son. Now, they are posing as normal in the wake of an enormous loss; blindly looking for footing in a sea of new emotions. This is the remarkably moving journey of a couple finding their way back to love.

Special features:

• Audio Commentary with the Director, Writer, and Director of Photography

• Deleted Scenes

• Theatrical Trailer

Have You Seen "Rabbit Hole"?

Sandra Oh and Aaron Eckhart in Rabbit Hole.

Rabbit Hole opened nation wide in the US this weekend and we want to know if any of you have had a chance to see it yet? What did you think?

Post your thoughts in the comments below.

Cheers!

It's All About The Directors

Hey peeps!

The holidays are over, so that means more frequent updates from now on.

Here is a new interview with Sandra Oh where she talks about working with Rabbit Hole director John Cameron Mitchell and the various directors on Grey's Anatomy:

For She Is A Jolly Good Fellow...

Another new interview with Sandra Oh where she talks about Rabbit Hole:

Sandra Oh, persona wise, couldn’t be more different from her character in Rabbit Hole. In Rabbit Hole, Oh plays a nearly all internal and damaged character. She’s a minor character, but an important one. Similar to the main couple, her character has lost a child. Rabbit Hole may have a bleak story on a paper, but tonally, it’s quite funny at times and also hopeful. It is a a serious drama, the type that Oscar fat cats love to eat up, but the film is also hilarious at times, even with its mourning characters. This is a total 180-turn from John Cameron Mitchell’s previous films, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Shortbus.


Oh herself is incredibly jolly. Right when she got on the phone it was obvious she wasn’t a self-serious or moody type, but instead someone okay with lightening the mood. First, she joked about the site’s name. Second, she told me I was living in fear. It shouldn’t have been a total surprise, considering she did some very solid work on the excellent Arli$$. Although there was a lot of joking around, mostly on Oh’s part, she still managed to provide thoughtful insight into the film and John Cameron Mitchell’s direction.

One of the main things about Gaby is that she’s a very internal character. When reading the script, how does she read on page?

What’s interesting is that, I thought she was totally there on page. Yes, you’re right, she doesn’t have a lot to say and isn’t in a lot of scenes. For me, I felt I knew her so well. I felt so intensely drawn to. Really, it’s just such a brilliant screenplay. I felt her even in her punctuation, and that shows how specific and great the script is. You can tell who characters are through punctuation. If you went to Film School, you would now that. Just joking! There was just a rich and clear sign post there in the script to fill in everything else.

Is it also refreshing playing a character whose emotions aren’t spelled completely out?

Oh yeah, for sure. Although my character doesn’t really do this on Grey’s Anatomy, I’m not saying anything new that on television and on the show people do display their emotions. My character, Cristina, does and doesn’t do that. With this character, it’s very refreshing and wonderful to play different types, you know I mean? A lot of Gaby’s life happens off-screen and a lot of her storytelling happens as she’s looking at people.


Were you surprised Gaby wasn’t played in a seductive manner towards Howie?

[Pause] Are you saying you don’t find me seductive?

Uh, what I mean is [Laughs]…

I’m joking! Jesus, I’m joking. Let me tell you, that’s how I was playing her. I was playing her as a femme fatale… I’m joking! I mean, that would really be such a cliche. That’s just not what the film is. If you were doing a film about a comic-book, you’re dealing with archetypes there. With something like this, that’s just not the film. And also, that’s not what happens. The reason why Howie and Gaby lean in towards each other is because of a common experience. It’s not like, “Wow, that person is hot,” and the connection is much deeper than that. What I think what happens is when audiences are able to see themselves in a slightly clearer or less cliche representative way, it goes deeper.

The tone of the film is very subdued, it avoids melodrama. How detailed was John Cameron Mitchell when it came to finding that tone, or was that all in the script?

That’s a good question. I think, I don’t really know how to answer that question. I can say he let us play it as we wanted to and would just subtly adjust. For me, I’m sure differently for Aaron [Eckhart] and Nicole [Kidman], there was no real discussion for where it was going to happen tonally. Actually, that’s not true. We would talk about it in certain scenes, but I’m just trying to think of a specific scene. I think I may have to come back to that question.

Visually, he kind of reminded me of Alexander Payne. There’s just a subtle beauty and non-flashy feel to the film–

I did not come up with that connection, mostly because of the subject matter. I think, in that way, it’s totally about approach and what is at the forefront of the film. Is it the story? Is it the emotion? I think what you’re saying is that, the camerawork really supports what is going on in the film?

Exactly. How specific was he on set?

Being an actor himself, he was very free with us. It’s strange, he gives you a lot of space, but he’s also specific. Not specific to the point where he becomes controlling, though.

With the subject matter, it’s very surprising by how funny the film is at times. Was that all in the script?

I think David [Lindsay-Abaire] did an amazing job at keeping everything… I’m trying to find the right word, because it’s not really hopeful. I guess, keeping things alive. The humor was a surprise knowing what the play was about, but it was just deeply engaging. It’s ultimately about the characters and engaging with them.

[Spoilers Here On Out]

I would say whether or not there’s hope for Gaby is very much ambiguous. Can you talk about what was the approach to that final scene of finding that sense of openness?

What’s interesting is that, this didn’t end up in the final film, but as Howie leaves you see Gaby go back and walk down her porch steps. For me, it was a very rich moment. She understands what Howie does, and it’s not like she’s not hurt by it, but she understands where he is and that some people get together, and some people don’t. At the end, she’s alone. That just didn’t end up being in the film, but John and I talked about that a lot.


Why was that cut?

Probably because you wanna stay with your two main characters. Gaby’s film will come about another time [Laughs].

There’s also a pretty big parallel between Gaby’s marriage and Howie and Becca’s. They both could end up like Gaby and her husband, do you see it that way?

Oh yeah. I mean, you don’t know. That’s what I really like about the ending, it’s monumental to grab your partner’s hand. It means so much, but you know that it’s not the end. You just know it’s this moment. What I love about Gaby’s character as a counterpoint, you don’t know 8-years from now where you’re going to be. Maybe she went through the same thing, who knows? Again, it’s great to have a character that’s gone through that. Also, look at Diane Wiest‘s character. I love the fact she drinks a lot. Who knows what that’s about.

It doesn’t end tying everything up too.

There’s no ending to loss. Just like there’s no ending to life. Nothing stays still. Nothing finishes. I think that was a sense that they were trying to give. And, I mean, what’s happy about that? They still don’t have their child, you know what I mean?

Rabbit Hole is now in theaters.

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Eight Years Of Grief

Same, same but different. Sandra Oh on Rabbit Hole:

Sandra Oh co-stars in the film as a fellow grieving parent who’s revealed to be seeking counseling for over eight years, driving a wedge through her marriage. Her thoughts on loss and coping helped form the backbone of her characterization.

“Loss doesn’t go away, it just is. After the loss of anything, somehow people are supposed to get over it. And I don’t agree with that. As my character is further down the line, she represents where you can go. You set up certain needs - she needs this group. Perhaps this has caused a certain amount of stress with her husband, but that’s what she needs.

What I would like, I think it is scary when someone is grieving after eight years. I think that is scary, but I think you can manage.”

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Rabbit Hole: Extended Clip With Sandra Oh And Aaron Eckhart

A new clip from Rabbit Hole has been released featuring Sandra Oh and Aaron Eckhart, which is one of the lighter moments in the movie. The director John Mitchell Cameron introduces the scene and talks about how they shot in this great article. For anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes process, check it out below:

Mitchell took some time out of his busy schedule during awards season to provide indieWIRE with an extended clip from the film, along with written commentary to accompany the scene.

THE SCENE

“Rabbit Hole” explores particularly intense subject matter and David Lindsay-Abaire adapted his own play with great subtlety and aplomb. Some of the new scenes provide welcome bursts of comic relief. The two adjoining scenes that I chose involves Gabby, played by Sandra Oh, a character referred to only obliquely in the play but who here plays an important role in the fracturing relationship between Howie (Aaron Eckhart) and Becca (Nicole Kidman).

Grief has forced Becca to withdraw from her husband. As a result, Howie gravitates towards Gabby, an eight-year veteran of the bereaved parents’ support group he attends. Gabby is a breath of fresh air and he soon discovers how fragrant that air can be. He stumbles upon her getting stoned in the parking lot outside group. Afterwards, we find them brutally baked in the midst of a meeting. I still love to pop into screenings during these scenes just to watch the audience.

In my view, one of the unsung stages of grief is hilarity: the gallows humor that allows us to rise above and look down upon our sad selves with screams of laughter (do levity and levitation share a root?). Lindsay-Abaire strategically inserts such scenes just when the intensity threatens to overwhelm the viewer. I gratefully milked every laugh.

In the group scene, a grieving parent played by Rob Campbell is bogarting the talking stick, so to speak. Rob’s a veteran New York actor that you may remember as the pathetic stoolie in “The Unforgiven” and the bass player unlucky enough to put a bra in a dryer in “Hedwig & the Angry Inch.”

This scene was a particular joy to shoot. I used multiple cameras to keep the reactions fresh and immediate: one on him and his grim-faced wife played by Teresa, one on other group members and one on Aaron and Sandra. We were shooting on the Red digital format which is great for performance because the large hard-drive means you really never have to cut.

It took a bit of time to find the right tone. We didn’t want to make fun of the characters’ grief. I told Rob that it was “Rage Day” at group and to riff on that. In the first few takes, Rob felt too sincere and the laughter seemed cruel. Suddenly, I caught sight of the coffee station. A lightbulb went off. I suggested Rob do the speech while eating a giant chocolate chip cookie. Suddenly, the character kicked in and Aaron and Sandra really lost it. The next take was a bit forced all round. I whispered to Rob, “Rage has gastrointestinal repercussions.” He launched into a tirade: “I haven’t taken a shit in months. Why aren’t we talking about this?” Behind camera, the crew was falling out. Silently, of course, we’re talking about professionals here. I goaded Rob on. His voice rose, “When are we going to address the fact that rage gives me an erection?” Cut, print, wrap! Somehow we knew all this wouldn’t end up in the film (gag reel?) but we certainly got what we needed.

We all headed home purged, refreshed and ready to face another day in the “Rabbit Hole.”

International Release Dates For Rabbit Hole

Tentative International Release Dates for “Rabbit Hole”:

Australia – February 17, 2011
Brazil – February 4, 2011
Canada – December 17, 2010
France – April 11, 2011
Greece – Mid-February 2011
Italy – 1st week of February 2011
New Zealand – February 17, 2011
Poland – January/February 2011
Portugal – January/February/March 2011
Switzerland – April 11, 2011
United Kingdom – February 4, 2011
United States - December 17, 2011

Keep checking NicoleKidmanOfficial.com for additional international release dates.

For all you lucky Americans and Canadians, “Rabbit Hole” premieres in select theaters starting tomorrow (Friday, December 17, 2010). Visit the Official Site for “Rabbit Hole” to find a theater near you.

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Going Down The Rabbit Hole

Another new interview with Sandra Oh who talks about her character in Rabbit Hole:

One actress who is particularly happy with the screenplay is Emmy Award winner Sandra Oh, who plays Gabby, a pivotal member of the support group who is only mentioned in the play. "I really love her a lot. I think Gabby's a great counterpoint to seeing the beginning of loss and then the continuation of loss," she says.

"My personal feeling is that loss doesn't go away, it just is. After the loss of anything -- it can be your goldfish or your child or your job -- somehow people are supposed to get over it. And I just don't agree with that. I feel what I was trying to do with Gabby is that even though she's further down the line in her process, and, as Howie sees her, she represents where you can go, you see she still needs this group."

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Sandra Oh On Auditioning For Rabbit Hole And Kevin McKidd

Here is another great interview with Sandra Oh who talks about the auditioning process for Rabbit Hole and what her Grey's co-star Kevin McKidd and director/writer Tony Phelan had to do with it:

You’re typically drawn to smaller, indie projects so did you seek Rabbit Hole out or was it brought to you by one of the producers?

Sandra Oh: I sought it out so hard! I begged to audition for this. I campaigned seriously. I read the screenplay and they were like, this is coming, this is happening, and there’s this role and I read it and I immediately went back to my agent like ‘Oh my God. I have to do this. I have to get this role.’ They were only seeing people on the East Coast and I was working on “Grey’s [Anatomy]” at the time and I was like, ‘No, no, no, please let me audition. Please let me audition. Can I please be seen?’

How did you finally land an audition?

SO: I was talking to John [Cameron-Mitchell] and he goes, ‘They’re reading a bunch [of guys] for the Jason character.’ So I remember asking Kevin McKidd, my acting partner on “Grey’s,” to drive to Santa Monica on a Friday, at 5 o’clock to read with me. He’s such a good guy. And I was working with one of our director-writers who knows the play, Tony Phelan and he was helping me with a bunch of directions and stuff.

So Kevin McKidd aka Dr. Owen Hunt aka Major Hottie auditioned with you for the movie?

SO: Kevin drove all the way up to Santa Monica to read with me because we really wanted to do a good job on this audition tape and I needed someone who’s not just a “reader” or some 20 year old girl. I really needed someone who I could work with and he graciously did that. I credit Tony and Kevin for helping me get this job.

Speaking of talented and gracious collaborators, the majority of your scenes in Rabbit Hole are with Aaron Eckhart. How was it working with him?

SO: I respect his acting so much and to be able to have had scenes with him. There are so many reasons why I wanted to do this piece but it was basically because the script is so stunning it’s insane, and John, and then Nicole and Aaron. For me being a fan of Aaron’s work for a long time, being able to act with him onscreen — I jumped at the opportunity!

In one scene in particular you guys have to both burst into laughter during a really inappropriate moment. Whenever you have “laughing” scenes in movies they always run the risk of coming off as fake but you guys looked like you were genuinely having fun. Were you?

SO: When you’re talking about that one scene, it’s actually not so easy to do. I think you can feel as an audience member when it’s not genuine so it’s actually pretty challenging to do but Aaron and I would just crack up. It was great.

You didn’t really have that many scenes with Nicole Kidman as an actress but did you get to interact with her as a producer?

SO: I didn’t really have any interaction with her as a producer because during her time on set she was acting. She was in her acting head. But I also knew that Nicole had a hand in deciding and choosing people. Hopefully, she was pleased with her choice of me as Gaby.

How long did you guys film for?

SO: Four weeks? We don’t know. It was like a regular kind of indie schedule. I’d say we probably had about 25 or 30 days but you’ll have to check on that.

Rabbit Hole will open in theaters in limited released on Friday, December 17.

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Sandra Oh On Rabbit Hole and Cristina Yang

MovieWeb has interviewed Sandra Oh who talks about playing her character Gabby in the movie Rabbit Hole and exploring Cristina Yang:

Actor-turned-director John Cameron Mitchell returns to direct his frist feature film in more than four years with the critically acclaimed drama Rabbit Hole. A slight departure from his cult musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch and his sex-fueled romantic drama Shortbus, Rabbit Hole is an adaptation of David Lindsay-Abaire's play that focuses on a married couple (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) overcoming the loss of their four-year-old son. It is at times both emotionally moving and very funny. And it is a project that rests close to Mitchell's heart, as he dealt with a similar loss early in his own life.

Sandra Oh plays Gaby, a character who never actually appears on stage in the original play, but is often talked about throughout the course of the story. Important to the core themes at hand, Gaby is a married woman who attends the same grief support group that Becca Kidman and Howie Eckhart Corbett have recently joined in hopes of overcoming their recent tragedy. When Becca begins spending an unusual amount of time with the teenager whose car killed her son, Howie in turn begins spending a little too much time with Gabby. Sandra is the first person to every play Gabby in the flesh, bringing her alive with a fresh new perspective.

We recently caught up with Sandra Oh to talk about her experiences acting in the film, her collaboration with John Cameron Mitchell, and her overall reaction to the themes carried throughout this powerful drama.

Here is our conversation:

There are such huge gaps between each project director John Cameron Mitchell chooses to take on. Were you a fan of his before stepping into this project? He seems pretty selective about what does as a director?

Sandra Oh: Oh, Shortbus! For sure. I think you said it right there. He is a very selective artist. You can glean that he is a thoughtful person. Which is true. His choices are deeply personal, which this was for him. He is a real striving artist. In some ways, when you look at the fact that there is a lot of time between his films...People really do need time to incubate between projects. They give their lives to it. You need to let that pass before your fall in love with something else. Knowing his work, meeting him...You know? I am a big fan. Just from artist to artist.

This film is getting mainstream praise, which makes me wonder if he will pull back on the next one...

Sandra Oh: In some ways, you never know what is going to be mainstream or not. I don't think he works that way in choosing things. Whether it is high profile or not. Yes, Nicole Kidman is in it. And it is a Pulitzer Prize winning play. But I think, for him, it is a much more personal choice and place.

In looking at how personal a project this actually is for John, did you see him change anything to reflect that in bringing it from the stage to the screen?

Sandra Oh: I did not see the stag play, so I could not talk to you about that. Talking with David Lindsay-Abaire, what he wanted to do...And in a way, this is great, because a lot of playwrights don't ever get to do this...Is explore. My character is not in the play. But the idea of my character is in the play. Here, he gets to explore what happens with this character off stage, bringing her on screen. He gets to flush out his play even more. He gets to flush out the story. You are not only in this house any more, but you are also in the park. You are also at group therapy. You are in the places that he has mentioned, but were never shown on stage. Now you see those things come to life.

That has to be pretty exciting for you as an actress. The sense of this character has always been there, but now you get to come in and create her for the real first time. And give audiences who've seen the play an idea of who this woman is, or was...

Sandra Oh: Yeah. That is really well said. (Laughs) I am the first person who is playing Gabby. And that is really exciting. When you see it, you'll see that the character I play is further along in her journey than Howie and Becca. It is a very good counterpoint. It being a story about survival, and living after loss, my character is further along in her grief. And Dianne Wiest's character is even further along with her's. We both extend our experiences and compassion to Howie and Becca.

How did you work with John in finding the right nuances for this character?

Sandra Oh: It really happened on set. You have your ideas, or you get rid of them. Then you come on set. And there is a magic that happens. Quite honestly. John Cameron Mitchell is a very sensitive director. How he moves. He goes from one place to another, suddenly. Everything happens in the moment from what he is feeling and seeing.

When you are in some of those really tough, emotional scenes, do you feel yourself getting swept up in the other actor's emotions as well?

Sandra Oh: Ultimately, you want to be in the first state. You want to be truthful in whatever the character is feeling. The story that you need to tell. Whatever you are personally bringing to it, it doesn't matter what it is. You could be thinking about the loss of your dog. Really, the character is talking about the loss of their child. It doesn't matter what the actor is bringing to it. As long as it helps them to tell the story of that character. You do want to be fully engaged with your partner in that state. Having said that, I don't think you can be completely removed from the third eye. Because you are always on a set. You do have to hit your mark. There are a lot of technical things you need to do, so that you are not completely self-involved. It is a balance. You primarily want to stay in the truthful part, and then have five percent of you knowing when the light is hitting you just right.

The humor plays an important part in bringing forth some of the emotions we see played out on screen. How did you feel about the humor that is played throughout the course of this story?

Sandra Oh: I felt that it was very real, and it was there when you really needed it. Its awkward. There is one time when they go bowling, and Dianne Wiest, who plays Becca's mother...You think there is humor with it, but then you get uncomfortable with it. The humor goes in and out. Sometimes the humor is both uncomfortable and a release. When you are dealing with two characters that are really suffering, you, as an audience member, need respite.

What are your thoughts and feelings about the themes that are raised both in the play, and the movie as it stands now?

Sandra Oh: I feel that these are deeply, deeply human subjects. No person goes through life without being touched by loss or grief. You just don't. Everyone goes through it. It is universal. And this is about seeing how two people survive that. Even though it is centered around two people and the loss of their child, it is really about seeing how people survive grief. That is what we are all hopefully doing in life.

Following your career, it doesn't seem like you ever take frivolous roles. You always seem quite committed to the characters that you play. Coming into this, which carries a little heavier weight, and a bit more of an outpouring of emotion, do you find its hard to walk away from this at the end of the day?

Sandra Oh: I understand why people always ask that question. I feel like...How easy is it to walk away from any kind of experience? It has its time. Some things stay with you and some things don't. For me, from the beginning to the end of just shooting it, seemed like quite a long time. The experience will always stay with me.

What do you think the most important aspect of this experience has been?

Sandra Oh: Hmm. Really great question. For me, it was in playing the compassion and the openness of Gabby as she recognizes the fact that she has been where Howie and Becca are. Again, I know this story is about their journey, but playing a character that is slightly further along in her journey, was the most satisfying, and the most interesting thing for me to play.

I know you said you had never seen the play. I know Nicole Kidman had never seen the play. And it sounds like a couple of the other actors hadn't either. Do you think that helps bring a different type of truth, and a certain freshness to the material that maybe hasn't played through it before?

Sandra Oh: Definitely, you have a clean palate. There is nothing on it. Even though my character is not in the play, I would have preferred not to have seen it. I think. Even if you did, it wouldn't matter. You would just fold that into your experience. You will still give it your own experience. You have to start from a clean place. You either start with a clear palate, or you start with a palate that already has a color on it.

You've played a character on Grey's Anatomy for quite a few years now. This here is something you'll only do once. Which experience do you enjoy more? Do you enjoy getting to constantly go back to a character for years on end, and the process that comes along with developing that character? Or do you prefer coming in, doing it once, and its done forever?

Sandra Oh: That is kind of like asking what you prefer, apples or oranges...

Apples.

Sandra Oh: (Laughs) They are just different. Its challenging playing the same character for seven years. Yet, it is also deeply satisfying. You get to flush out a character as deeply as possible. You are living with them for seven years. You know them like the back of your hand. You don't even need to think of them at a certain point. You get to enjoy things about them. I love it when she is really competitive and very mean. I love it. I love playing it. I love that they have explored her character in every kind of way. Emotionally, spiritually, especially this past season. She has been great to play. Playing a different character is so great as well. Sometimes, you wish you could explore more of them. If this kept on going, you'd see more of Gabby and her life inside her own house. I would get to explore her in that way. But in this film, you only have five scenes to tell her story. On Grey's Anatomy, I have had over one hundred episodes to tell the story of this character. They are both great, and they are both challenging for different reasons.

Were you able to discover something new on the set of Rabbit Hole that you, as an actor, were able to take back to your character on Grey's Anatomy? Or maybe take into any future performances?

Sandra Oh: Ultimately, that is a question of, "Do you take what you learn in life and bring it with you?" And, yes. To be able to point to a certain thing? I wouldn't be able to do that. I can't say that because I learned this certain thing, I brought that up here. You just put it all in your back pocket of life, and you bring it to your next moment.

For the people who haven't seen Rabbit Hole, and they see the trailer or the TV commercials, and they may shy away from it because they are not ready for such a heavy experience, what would you say to pull them in a little closer to the material?

Sandra Oh: The film is not about death. The film is about life. Everyone can understand lose. It's a story about people who have been touched by loss, which we all have, and how those people survive it. We always need to see stories about our deepest selves.

Rabbit Hole comes to theaters December 17th, 2010.

Sandra Oh and Aaron Eckhart At Screening For "Rabbit Hole"

Aaron Eckhart and Sandra Oh at a screening of Rabbit Hole in Los Angeles on Dec 6, 2010.

Behind The Scenes Of "Rabbit Hole"

Sandra Oh with director John Cameron Mitchell on the set of Rabbit Hole.

The screen caps are from the video here, but this is the only sequence where Sandra is featured.

Rabbit Hole: Interview With Sandra Oh

Here is a recent interview with Sandra Oh - one of many, we expect - about her role in her new movie and critics favourite Rabbit Hole. Sandra talks about her character Gabby and working with Aaron Eckhart and Nicole Kidman:

Rabbit Hole premieres on December 17.

Q&A with Sandra Oh and Aaron Eckhart

It's all about Rabbit Hole these days peeps, and there is much more to come because the critics are loving it.

Last night, Rabbit Hole screened in Los Angeles, and Sandra Oh was there as well to participate in a Q&A with co-star Aaron Eckhart afterward.

You can read the Sandra-relevant bits below:

We've all heard of movies where the cast and crew dealt with tough, grim subject matter by keeping the atmosphere on the set light and playful, or by blowing off steam at the end of the day.

"Rabbit Hole," John Cameron Mitchell's understated, quietly gripping drama about a couple (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) dealing with the death of their young son, was not one of those movies.

...

Actress Sandra Oh, who plays a woman who's been in a counseling group for parents who've lost children, agreed that the atmosphere was charged and serious – following the tone set by Kidman, who starred in the film and also served as one of its producers.

"The subject matter is difficult," said Oh. "You have to be there for 14 hours, and Nicole does it in a very controlled way. There was lots of quiet."

Added Eckhart, "Nicole didn't make too many jokes on this movie. I tried to get in her face and make jokes sometimes."

...

The film had a small budget – Eckhart said $5 million, but Oh insisted it was much smaller than that – and little time for Kidman and Eckhart to rehearse the interplay between a married couple who, the actor said, "can no longer relate to each other mentally, physically, spiritually."

...

Both actors were full of praise for Kidman – who, said Oh, "connected to this in a very, very deep emotional way. It's about what we fear the most, our most hidden and private places … And she's a truly magnificent actress, and a serious artist."

As a producer, though, Kidman was hardly extravagant. For much of the shoot, Eckhart said, the filmmakers and actors lived in the house that was also used for shooting.

"Nicole had one bedroom," he said, "I had another, and we shared a bathroom."

But the actor said he was intimidated sharing that bathroom with his leading lady and producer ("what if I'm in the bathroom and Nicole wants to use it?"), so he switched and shared one with the crew instead. John Cameron Mitchell, meanwhile, slept in the little boy's bedroom, and used the Kidman/Eckhart bathroom to take baths.

"That's what independent film is these days," said Oh with a laugh. "You have really big stars like Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart sharing a bathroom, and the director is bathing in the tub."

For full article, vist theWrap

At The Press Junket

Photo: Brad Balfour

Sandra Oh and her Rabbit Hole co-stars - and writer and director - at the press junket for the movie in NYC on December 2, 2010.

If you want to learn more about the process of how Rabbit Hole came about, there is an interesting write-up here.

Sandra Oh and Aaron Eckhart in "Rabbit Hole" - Promotional Still

A new still from the movie:

 

Rabbit Hole is about a couple dealing with the grief of losing their son, but you should also know that:

"Still thinking about 'Rabbit Hole,' and how it's much funnier than you would expect." - @mattdentler

"Rabbit Hole" After Party - Photos

Last night Rabbit Hole premiered in New York and when there is a movie premiere there is always an after party. Here are some pics of Sandra Oh and her co-stars from the after party:

Aaron Eckhart.

Tammy Blachard, Aaron Eckhart and Sandra Oh.

With Parker Posey.

Everybody is trying to marry off Aaron Eckhart and People asked Sandra Oh to put in a few good words on her co-star as well:

Even Sandra Oh, who also plays Eckhart's love interest in the film, thinks he'd make a good spouse. "Aaron's mysterious and he's complex,” Oh, 39, tells PEOPLE. "He's a very, very complex, deep, deep, deep lovely man." 

More pics from the premiere here

Sandra Oh At The Premiere Of "Rabbit Hole" in New York

Rabbit Hole premiered tonight in New York and Sandra Oh was there along with her co-stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart:

With director John Cameron Mitchell.

Source: AP

First pic:

Source

We'll add more pics as soon as they become available.

Rabbit Hole: New Clip Released

Another new clip from Rabbit Hole featuring Sandra Oh:

The first one can be found here