Sandra Oh (Cristina)

On how Cristina's story should end: "I want it to be celebratory and that we all get to a place where we're happy to see her go. Every so often a crewmember will look at me in a certain way or hug me in a certain way and I know what it's about. We don't say anything but I know what it is. It will be hard to say goodbye."

On her favorite Cristina memory: "I thought the season-six finale with the shooter was really good. It was really hard shooting it but Michael O'Neill [as the shooter] was amazing. We really hit it out of the park with those two gripping episodes."

Shonda Rhimes (creator/showrunner)

"One of my favorite moments was when she first came in to audition. She walked in the door for the role of Bailey and killed it. She had a totally different interpretation of the character and was hilarious. I remember the two of us looking at one another and thinking, 'Maybe she's Cristina.' That completely changed my conception of Cristina. The character of Cristina as we know her was really born when Sandra Oh walked into the room. I know exactly what the ending will be. I know what I wish for the character and what feels right in terms of her leaving our world and I tried to find something that made sense to me." 

Betsy Beers (executive producer)

On her favorite Cristina moment: "There are so many great moments; all the stuff with Meredith and Cristina. Those two waking up together. You always vaguely knew that Cristina was going to be on the other side of the bed. The season where Derek realizes that he's with two women and not one because she's broken up with [Burke]. I love that scene. I love the entire year of Burke leaving her at the altar and the last scene with her in her wedding dress. I love her during the shooter episode, where she stands up to save Derek. I can't say enough. There's not an episode that goes by where there isn't a favorite Sandra Oh memory. With Owen in the room with the blower and these first moments where they would get together and they would stand on the vent? There's not a bad one in the bunch."

Ellen Pompeo (Meredith)

On her favorite Meredith-Cristina moment: "The Cristina/Meredith scene that will always stick with me is Sandra and I roaming through the forest in Big Bear, looking for Cristina Yang's shoe. We've kicked some serious acting ass together. I am very proud of the work we've done together over the last decade."

Patrick Dempsey (Derek)

On how Cristina's journey should end this season: "I think she should just be that person she's always been and not compromise. She's about the work and her devotion to that and being the best. So I think she has to go out in that manner -- have the opportunity to come back if she wants. Let's not throw her under a bus (laughs). I think she should go off and do something else. She shouldn't have to die; we've had too many of our castmembers go off and die or just disappear."

Kevin McKidd (Owen)

Favorite memory: "Almost every day she does something where I think about how great she is. She's so funny and present as a person. We have become great friends over the past five years. There are so many anecdotal things about Sandra; she's so engaged with every person on the set all the time. On Friday nights, she'll make cocktails for everybody and bring drinks to all the crew because we're working our asses off until 2 a.m. and she'll bring snacks and lay out big tables of food for everybody because she wants to. She has a big heart — she's not like Cristina Yang at all."  

Isaiah Washington (Burke)

"All of my time working with Sandra Oh on Grey's Anatomy is my favorite memory about working with Sandra Oh," he tells THR. 

Chandra Wilson (Bailey)

Favorite memory: "During season two when Cristina had her miscarriage and Bailey was in the OR standing at her head just being near her, not participating in the surgery but being the mother hen to her. That's my favorite moment." 

Gaius Charles (Shane)

On working with Oh: "Sandra is such a gift of fresh air and life. Some people, you're around them and they make the day better and every time I work with her, it's a joy. I celebrate this season and look forward to her transition to many amazing things."

Jesse Williams (Jackson)

On working with Oh: "Working alongside Sandra has taught me a great deal about ownership and commitment. Her generous ferocity is truly an inspiration. To say that she will be missed would be one of the great understatements on the subject."

Katherine Heigl (Izzie)

On working with Oh: "Sandra's strength and dedication to performance was and still is inspiring to me. I'll always remember her infectious laugh and her sharp wit! I can't wait to see what she does next and wish her the very best in everything!"


Justin Chambers (Alex)

Favorite memory and how Cristina's story should end: "Sandra is an incredible actor and will just look at me a certain way and I'll bust up laughing. We had a scene fighting over a gurney and we acted juvenile like our characters do. She does this look and puts her head up and walks off and I kept laughing every time we did the take. I love her so much. She sets such a great precedent on our show and a lot of actors, myself included, have learned from her. I love Yang and what she's contributed to the show. I think Yang should run a hospital somewhere and be happy. She should find happiness even if it's through work."

Sara Ramirez (Callie)

Favorite memory: "I remember the first time I met her. She brought me into her trailer and talked for what felt like forever. I felt so lucky. I remember feeling really wide-eyed and bushy-tailed sitting there looking at her; she's one of the reasons I first started watching Grey's. I remember doing a scene with her in the OR where we're supposed to start laughing together and we had so much fun with that and cracked each other up to the point where we couldn’t stop laughing. That, I will always remember. I really admire her and find her so inspiring in every way."

How Cristina's story should end: "Please, let's not kill her."

Chyler Leigh (Lexie)

"Working with Sandra was a major lesson for me about grace, giftedness and passion. She is probably the best-prepared actor I've ever seen or met. The incredibly thought-out sticky notes that plagued her scripts were an incredible example of why we do what we do for a living. She dissects everything — no pun intended — and embodies such an honest authenticity through every word that leaves her mouth, whether spoken or unspoken," says Leigh, who stars in Taxi Brooklyn, which NBC recently acquired. "Her graciousness to give a scene partner 110 percent every single take is, in my book, unparalleled. I am honored to know her and to have worked with someone so classy, so sincere, so intelligent and so damn talented. She was really the first castmember I worked the most with, being one of her interns. Amid the drama of the show, we always managed to laugh together. I appreciate her tremendously. And, might I add … she's just beautiful. She's absolutely ageless."

Eric Dane (Mark)

On working together: "Sandra Oh is one of the most talented actors I've yet to work with and certainly the most professional. She brings a lot to the table."

Sarah Drew (April)

On her favorite memory of working with Oh: "At the end of season nine, we shot April's flash-mob proposal scene. The day went beautifully, except for the fact that I was sick as a dog the whole time. I showed up at work sick and progressively got worse as the hours went on. When we finished my coverage, at the end of the 10-hour scene, I was so sick and so exhausted that I walked back to where the actors were sitting in a comatose daze. Sandra leapt up when she saw me and said, 'Oh Sarah. Are you OK?" I proceeded to collapse on to the floor right where I stood in a puddle of tears and immediately she and Sara Ramirez rushed to care for me. Sandra and Sara spent the next, I don't know how long, encouraging me, holding me, rushing to get things for me and basically just pouring love out on me. I was so moved by that experience. I felt so loved, so cared for and so grateful to get to work alongside these precious sisters. I could tell you a million stories about Sandra's incredible work ethic, artistic generosity, passion and hilarious antics, but what I love the most about her is her character. Her kindness and her unwavering integrity. I've spent the last five years watching Sandra care for the people on set -- from the top-billed stars, to the underappreciated PAs -- and I know everyone on that set will agree with me. I for one will miss her desperately." 

Jessica Capshaw (Arizona)

On working with Oh: "Sandra and I had worked on a movie prior to Grey's and we were basically extras. When you are extras you have a lot of time to get to know each other. We covered a lot of bases back then, and by the end of the job I felt like I had known her forever … then our paths crossed many years later on Grey's, and even with all of her success and the demands of a hectic schedule she was still the same grounded, curious, smart, kind and generous woman. I am incredibly grateful for the years of working side by side with her. As an actress she is always prepared and always brings a strength and direction to the scene that is unparalleled. As a friend she is always kind, interested, and supportive. I will miss her wit, her imagination and her unique soulfulness."

James Pickens Jr. (Richard)

Favorite memory: We did an episode where we have a competition and Cristina thinks because he's been behind a desk the past few years and been an administrator that Webber lost his touch. They have this competition and he just waxes her and sticks it in her face and does a dance to celebrate. She comes back and says, 'Wow, you've still got it.' It was really fun doing that episode with her. What I'll remember most is her dedication as an actress. She's the total package. She pushed the envelope and changed how we looked at female characters. She was the Murphy Brown of our time."

Jerrika Hinton (Stephanie)

Favorite memory: "Sandra and I have shared a lot of laughs about our personal lives, and I cherish deeply each and every conversation we've had about that."

Camilla Luddington (Jo)

On her favorite memory of Oh: "The first time I met her was amazing. She came into the trailer and put on opera music. It was almost like the gods had come out. I was such a huge fan of hers, and that first moment meeting her was very memorable to me. It was very surreal."

Kate Walsh (Addison)

On her favorite Cristina moments: "The scene where Sandra couldn't get out of her wedding dress fast enough was heartbreaking. I also loved her not-being-able-to-stop-crying scene in season one."

On her favorite memory of working with Oh: "One time when I came back to Grey’s for a crossover episode, Sandra graciously served up tequila shots after we wrapped late on a Friday night -- she was a gracious hostess. Perhaps her most important contribution was her co-creation of the 'Norm Sandy,' wherein she and our makeup artist, Norman Leavitt, created the most delicious breakfast sandwich of all time, which we ordered daily: a BLT with a fried egg and avocado on sourdough or wheat. Amazing."

Kim Raver (Teddy)

On working with Oh: "I remember my first table read with the cast of Grey's, which as a newbie is always exciting and overwhelming because when you join a cast that has been in place for a long time, you are the new kid on the block! I remember clearly Sandra coming straight across the whole room and giving me a huge hug! She was so incredibly welcoming and generous in showing me the ropes. My first surgery scene I had an enormous amount of medical dialogue while my hands had to do medical miracles -- all of which were absolutely foreign to me! Putting on all the ER gowns, headlamp, goggles and gloves for the first time can be so claustrophobic at first, but she was hilariously funny and incredibly calm and guided me through it all! 

Sandra and I had many, many emotional scenes together. I adore working with her because she has incredible professionalism and we also can have a lot of laughs together! When you have both your hands stuck elbow deep into fake blood with all kinds of fake/real animal organs for hours with mega amounts of medical dialogue -- Sandra Oh is the one you want by your side."

Tessa Ferrer (Leah)

On Oh's lasting impact: "Sandra set the bar for me my first few days on set in season nine. Her work ethic, gratitude, joy, kindness and fun at a level 10, nine years in, was inspirational. 'What would Sandra do?' became my mantra. I will be forever grateful to her for showing how it's done!"

William Daniels (Dr. Thomas)

On working with Oh: "Sandra and I met on Grey’s as adversaries; [we were] two strong egos clashing. [What followed was] mutual respect and, finally, her sadness at the loss of a friend. I enjoyed every minute of it. Sandra and I got along -- we had good vibes. It was the first time anywhere that I was presented with a cake in recognition of my services."

Scott Foley (Henry)

Favorite memory of working with Oh: "I was lucky enough to have numerous scenes with Sandra. She's a fantastic person and so sweet. I'm such a believer in her talent. I've reached out to her to talk about her acting coach because I think she's phenomenal. The scene that sticks out for me is when Henry was dead and I was lying on this cold gurney in the OR and Kim Raver was standing over me. In the viewing room, Sandra was standing there and she just had this amazing scene -- she didn't have any lines and just had to watch us. When it was her coverage, I was watching her from behind camera and she was so still and so focused. That was what really cemented my respect for her as an artist and performer. There was something so beautiful about seeing her watch this moment between Teddy and Henry. I'll always love her for it." 

Caterina Scorsone (Amelia)

On returning to Grey's for Oh's farewell: "Every time I've gotten to work with Sandra Oh I'm totally in awe and starstruck. As a young comedian, I watched her in Canada doing Canadian films and she went to the National Theater school there. While I was coming up, I was watching her career. I think she's brilliant. Being able to come over and play with her on Grey's Anatomy is a dream come true. Sandra is amazing and someone to be admired, both as an actress and as a person." 

On what it was like being around for the final episodes: "This whole process has been very emotional; every table read has been at a high, high emotional pitch. There was a big carnival on set and Tony and Joan -- our exec producers -- are leaving so that's also very emotional. They're heading out and Sandra is heading out and they threw a big carnival at lunch one day with rides and games and a dunk tank.… All the producers and Sandra were in the dunk tank having a great time. It was really fun."