Sandra Oh Joins Melissa McCarthy's 'Tammy'

This summer, Sandra Oh has been busy shooting a film called Tammy, which is a comedy starring Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Mark Duplass and Alison Janney.

Melissa McCarthy plays Tammy, a woman who is laid off from her job at a fast food restaurant, who discovers that her husband is having an affair and decides to go on a road trip with her "foul-mouthed, alcoholic, diabetic grandmother" played by Susan Sarandon.

Kathy Bates plays the grandmother’s lesbian friend "who saves the duo from some bad spots". Based on reports from the set, Sandra Oh will be playing Kathy Bates' character's girlfriend.

Sandra Oh with the amazing cast shooting a scene at Niagara Falls.
Photo: James Neiss, Niagara Gazette

Tammy is co-written by Melissa McCarthy and her husband, Ben Falcone, who is also directing the film. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay are producing.

Tammy is set to premiere in cinemas on July 2, 2014.

Source: THR

33 Liberty Lane: Filming To Start In February

Earlier in the spring we wrote about Sandra Oh's upcoming film 33 Liberty Lane which was to be shot this summer, but has since been postponed and Deadline could finally announce today that the filming is planned to start in February in Winnipeg, Canada.

33 Liberty Lane is a romantic comedy about four women who set up a phone-sex company, trying to make a quick buck. Sandra will play Karen, a 40-year old virgin. Emily Watson, Marcia Hardin and Nia Vardalos will also be starring.

For a longer synopsis and more info about the characters, click here.

'Kind of a Blur': A Short Film Starring Sandra Oh - Watch

In 2005 Sandra Oh starred in a short film called Kind of a Blur which has since made its way onto YouTube, and which you can now watch it in its entirety in the video below:

About:

A pair of aging ravers wake up after an all-night mountain bash and can barely recall the party, what day it is, or the location of that cow upon which a critical message was scrawled.

Starring Sandra Oh and John Wright. Directed by Jon Goldman.

If you want to catch up on Sandra's filmography and watch more of her earlier work, we have compiled a list of her films - shorts and full features - which are available online (legally). Click here for the list.

Sandra Oh To Star In Romantic Comedy '33 Liberty Lane'

Sandra Oh has been cast in the film 33 Liberty Lane, which is a romantic comedy about four women who set up a phone-sex company, trying to make a quick buck.

Sandra will play one of the women in the group, 40-year old Karen who also happens to be virgin. Other cast members include Emily Watson as Brenda, a recently abandoned single-mother, Melora Hardin as corporate executive Connie, and serial marrier Isabella played by Nia Vardalos.

The film will be shot this summer in Winnipeg, Canada.

More details about the film in the press release below:

The cast of 33 Liberty Lane: Sandra Oh,
Emily Watson, Nia Vardalos and Melora Hardin.

Emily Watson, Sandra Oh, Melora Hardin and Nia Vardalos make up the dynamic ensemble that sees them as a group of women down on their luck, who band together to create a company that would make a quick buck and ease their woes. In a naïve process of osmosis their “dream” is realized in Love Shack, a phone-sex company. Diving in head first, they seemed to have forgotten one key ingredient – sexual prowess. For a group that contains a suburban mom and a 40 year-old virgin, this does not come naturally and the educational services of Brijeet, a local hooker, are enlisted, bringing some unforeseen side-effects.

Shooting is due to begin in Summer 2012 with Peter Hewitt (Garfield, The Borrowers) set to direct. 

33 Liberty Lane is a TREE (Australia) production to be shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada with the support of Manitoba Film & Music, and the Production Company, Buffalo Gal Pictures.

Synopsis:

What do you do when you find yourself dumped for a younger woman, left with the mortgage to pay, outdated by modern technology, and in the midst of an unwanted midIlife crisis? You turn to your friends, you swallow your pride, and you start up a phone sex business – that’s what you do. But for Brenda and her pals, it’s not so easy – they aren’t as competent, liberated and worldly-wise as they think. And their initial attempts are disastrous – both financially and practically. To top it all, Brenda’s 18 yearIold son, Scott, returns from failing at University to find a hooker, Brijeet, at the family home – what kind of mother is that? As the ladies have to reinvent themselves once again, they decide to stop faking and be themselves – a recipe, finally, for success and certainly a life education for Scott and Brijeet.

It's going to be a busy summer for Sandra Oh, who will also be starring in the indie short film 'A Helping Hand' with Michelle Krusiec and Howard Hesseman, which you can read more about here. It's an indie project that still needs funding, so click here to hear more from the filmmakers and how you can help out.

Sandra Oh In "Kind Of A Blur"

Random photo of the week:

Photo: Jon Goldman

A still of Sandra Oh from the short film Kind Of A Blur (2005) which is now available for download on iTunes.

Synopsis 

A pair of aging ravers wake up after an all-night mountain bash and can barely recall the party, what day it is, or the location of that cow upon which a critical message was scrawled.

DVD Extras From Hard Candy And Defendor

The extra material from the Hard Candy and Defendor DVDs have made its way online, so for those of you who haven't had a chance to view it before, can check it out below:

Defendor (2009): Producer Nicholas Tabarrok on casting Sandra Oh and Sandra on why she chose to do the role. (Click here to read director Peter Stebbings' version of the story.)

Defendor (2009): Bloopers

Hard Candy (2005): Director David Slade about casting Sandra Oh and why she agreed to do the cameo role.

Via carlithiel

Date Squad: Short Film

In 2001 Sandra Oh appeared in the short film Date Squad with Amanda Peet and Adam Scott (Parks & recreation) where Sandra is being fierce as always:

Full film and synopsis are below. Or just skip to the 2:10 minute mark for the dancing part:

Date Squad (9:32 min)

Plagued by a paucity of second dates, Belkis Felcher (Amanda Peet) is truly a romantic train wreck.

Her well-intentioned sister takes matters into her own hands and hires Date Squad, headed by Alpha Baby (Sandra Oh), to perform a full-scale intervention, including a makeup and wardrobe makeover, covert conversational tips and seduction secrets.

Despite their good intentions, fly moves and high-tech gadgetry, even Date Squad may not be able to help Belkis, which may not be such a bad thing!

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

Prey: Sneak Peeks

Two clips from Prey with Sandra Oh and Adam Beach:

Update On "The Goree Girls"

We have a small update on the The Goree Girls in which both Sandra Oh as well as her Grey's co-star Ellen Pompeo are rumoured to star in along with Jennifer Aniston.

The Goree Girls is a country musical based on a true story of an all-female country band in a Texas prison in the 1940s. 

Jennifer Aniston finally talked about the project while promoting her fragrance in Mexico City a few days ago. Here is the tidbit from USA Today:

Aniston spoke a little to the press, noting that she has some non-rom-com movie projects in her future, including The Goree Girls, based on the true story of an all-female country-western band that formed at a Texas prison in the 1940s. Aniston says the band was "sort of the Dixie Chicks of their time."

If the rumours about Sandra and Ellen's participation are true, the production should start during the Grey's hiatus to accommodate their schedules.

Author Of Sideways Says "Screw You" To Sandra Oh

A lil' bit of controversy...

The cast of Sideways and author Rex Pickett (on the far right)
at the premiere of the movie in Los Angeles, 2004.

When books are adapted into films, it's not uncommon to change plots, characters and other details. The movie Sideways - in which Sandra Oh had a supporting role - was based on a book by author Rex Pickett, and as with most adaptations, the novel Sideways and the film version are different. This review of the book lists some of those differences.

It turns out that Rex Pickett is rather bothered by the change made to Sandra's character Stephanie, and he holds Sandra personally responsible for that. (FYI: In the book, Sandra's character is called Terra who is described as a "petite blonde" and who doesn't have a daughter. )

Pickett has now written a sequel to Sideways which he is currently promoting, and in an interview with Palate Press he talks about how he has written Sandra's character out of the new book completely to make sure that Sandra doesn't appear in the sequel, should it ever get made:

Maya and Terra, the women from Sideways who date Miles and Jack, were based on real women in Santa Barbara County. But in Vertical, Maya appears only briefly, and Terra is out of the story completely, having moved to Reno to become a lap dancer.

Pickett didn’t want to talk about the real Maya, but was happy to tell the story of his revenge against Terra.

“[Actress] Sandra Oh made a lot of changes to my script. She boasted about it on NPR[’s Fresh Air (listen to the interview here)],” Pickett said. “She changed the name of the character to ‘Stephanie.’ She changed her vehicle to a motorcycle. She added the mixed-race kid. I hate that bowling alley scene in the movie. I leave every time I see it.”

“[Director] Alexander [Payne] had just married Sandra Oh. He was in love with her. Alexander would never have taken those suggestions from anybody else. Then they had a bitter divorce, and she got half the money he made from Sideways, which was a lot of money because Alexander got points from the gross worldwide. But when she got the role on Grey’s Anatomy, that was afterward and she didn’t have to share that money.”

By writing her character out of Vertical, Pickett ensured that Payne won’t have to work with Oh again if he makes the sequel.

“Lap dancing, that’s a little wave to Alexander,” Pickett said. “I’m not happy that she changed the role. So it’s ‘screw you.’”

Yikes, dude!

Bad Girl

Random quote of the day:

Sandra Oh and Thomas Haden Church in Sideways.

[Stephanie pours Jack and Miles full glasses of sample wine]

Jack:  Oh, Stephanie, you bad girl.

Stephanie: I know, I need to be spanked.

- Sideways, 2004.

Tell Me Something To Make Me Love You

Random quote:

Sandra Oh and Don McKellar in Last Night.

"You'd better hurry up. Tell me something to make me love you. " 

- Sandra. Last night, 1998.

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.

Source

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.

Source

There Will Be Movies

Good news, peeps. Sandra Oh says she wants to do more movies from now on. Here is the tidbit from the New York Post:

ALONGSIDE a garbage can, en route to see "Rabbit Hole," Sandra Oh said:

"Difficult to assess my own work. I saw this once, but I'll watch it again now. With 'Grey's Anatomy,' I haven't had lots of time off to make movies, but I'm trying to do more now."

She's terrific-looking with her fake lashes.

Coming up next for Sandra Oh is a film currently in development by Darlene Hunt - the creator of The Big C on Showtime - and The Goree Girls with Jennifer Aniston and Ellen Pompeo. The latter is yet to be confirmed.

Rabbit Hole: TV Spot

Don't blink or you'll miss Sandra Oh at the 0:10 min mark:

And to refresh your memory, here is the synopsis again:

Becca and Howie Corbett are a happily married couple whose perfect world is forever changed when their young son, Danny, is killed by a car. Becca, an executive-turned-stay-at-home mother, tries to redefine her existence in a surreal landscape of well-meaning family and friends.

Painful, poignant, and often funny, Becca's experiences lead her to find solace in a mysterious relationship with a troubled young comic-book artist, Jason - the teenage driver of the car that killed Danny. Becca's fixation with Jason pulls her away from memories of Danny, while Howie immerses himself in the past, seeking refuge in outsiders who offer him something Becca is unable to give.

The Corbetts, both adrift, make surprising and dangerous choices as they choose a path that will determine their fate.

A Film In Development

A tidbit about an upcoming project for Sandra Oh...

The creator of The Big C on Showtime, Darlene Hunt, revealed in a interview with The Huffington Post that Sandra Oh and Julianne Robinson* are attached to a film she is currently developing.

As the project is still in development, that's all the news released at the moment.


*Julianne Robinson is most likely director Julie Anne Robinson who has directed a couple episodes of Grey's Anatomy in the past.

Rabbit Hole: Trailer

And in Rabbit Hole news, the trailer has finally been released, so check it out below.

Rabbit Hole will be released in limited theaters on December 17th, with a wide release on January 14th.

Director John Cameron Mitchell talked about Sandra's role in the movie in a recent interview which you can check out here. It's very spoilerish so watch at your own risk. Starts at the 12:50 mark.