Why Sandra Oh Left Her Grey's Anatomy Audition (But Still Played Cristina)
Sandra Oh didn't technically audition for Grey's Anatomy, but was cast as Christina anyway because Sanda Rimes knew she was right for the role.

Sandra Oh played Christina on "Grey's Anatomy" for ten seasons, but surprisingly, she didn't technically audition for the role, but managed to. When showrunner Shonda Rhimes was casting for a pilot episode in 2005, Oh was considered and auditioned, but left before the audition. However, she eventually got the role and played the beloved character for a decade.
In a recent interview (via Vanity Fair), Sandra Oh talked about how she landed the role of Christina. In 2005, when Rhimes was looking for actors to star in the Grey's Anatomy pilot, the pilot was enough. ABC has yet to order more shows, and even if executives do, it will only be for six episodes. Oh has been in a few TV movies before and is regularly booked for roles, but she has yet to land a breakout role. In a twist of fate, her role as Christina Young on Grey's Anatomy ended up being one of her most famous roles.
Why Sandra Oh's Managers Told Her To Walk From The Audition

When Wu went to audition for the role of Christina Young, she came in early on to work on the role with Remus. when did you come However, when it came time to actually audition, her team called her and told her to walk away because they felt ABC wasn't giving Oh the treatment she deserved. Despite actually leaving before the auditions even started, Rhimes saw her play Cristina while they were researching the role. Oh explained that she turned it down, “but Shonda said 'I want her. Lei Zhong got an actor.
How Grey's Anatomy Would Have Been Different Without Sandra Oh

Cristina Yang is one of the most important characters in Grey's Anatomy, along with the titular character Meredith Grey. An excellent surgeon and a career-oriented, competitive individual, Christina was Meredith's best friend until the character moved to Switzerland to defend Oh's exit from the show. Oh, and Christina's performance earned her five Emmy nominations in a row. She played a key role and contributed greatly to the success of the show with her performance.
Oh said she was "forever grateful" to her team for letting her out there, as she was still learning how to say no to parts to get what she deserved. "I had to systematically pay attention to On how to build my career (…),” Oh said. She was ready to say no when roles “didn’t fit the role [she] wanted to be.” By knowing her own worth and choosing to walk away, Sandra Oh ended up with Made his way to join Grey's Anatomy.