Work-life balance is a key for actors too.It’s not really surprising that acting is very demanding, not only for those just starting out, but also for those whose names are already familiar to audiences. Depending on the movie or show, the role may require some hardcore physical changes or even stunts that you wouldn’t even dare to try.
Doing a movie is one thing, but doing a TV show is another. Even though there are usually more characters to rotate, their presence is often needed for a long period of time. Day shifts allow to film some things, but not everything can be done during the day, and that’s when the night shifts come in.
With pretty crazy schedules, constant pressure, and often a not-so-friendly environment on set, is it really surprising when we hear about another star leaving a show for good?
Well, for Sandra Oh, the journey with Grey’s Anatomy was not only an eventful one, but also a long one. The actress, who portrayed Cristina Yang, gave her all to the show and eventually left in season 10.
In the grand scheme of the show’s 19-year run, that may not seem too long, but in reality, those 10 years took a toll on the actress.
Oh opened up about her health scares and exhaustion during the filming of Grey’s Anatomy in an Actors on Actors Variety interview with Jung Ho-yeon of Squid Game:
“Honestly, I got sick. I think my whole body was very, very sick. Even though you keep on working, but 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,” the actress said.
Sandra Oh wasn’t the only one to report the very demanding conditions created by the Grey’s Anatomy production team. Katherine Heigle was one of the first to leave because she could not work under such pressure, and later Patrick Dempsey reported the same problems.
Fortunately, the star has found her priorities and managed to keep everything in her life in balance. Hopefully, over the years, Grey’s Anatomy’s working conditions have become less hectic, allowing the actors to focus more on themselves.