The 54-year-old actress – born to Korean immigrants in Nepean, Ottawa – felt accepted “right away” when she first worked in her home country, in films such as 1994’s Double Happiness and The Diary of Evelyn La, which led her to break into Hollywood with the 1997 movie Bean.
Sandra explained in the new issue of People Magazine: “There is a difference in how a country and how people see who they are and who is invited.
“I was fortunate enough to start my career in Canada, where I felt accepted right away. Hollywood is a different game that took me years and luck. It was just harder to reach.”
But the hard slog to make it in America paid off, as she has left a profound impact.
Sandra became one of the first Asian stars to achieve leading roles, critical acclaim, and recognition on American TV shows, including as Dr. Cristina Yang in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and as M16 agent Eve Polastri in BBC’s Killing Eve.
And the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actress said the growing success of Asian artists, such as Wicked’s Michelle Yeoh, 63, and Sandra’s Quiz Lady co-star Awkwafina, 37, is “thrilling to see”.
Sandra added: “These are things to celebrate and always keep pushing on. What we have now is a track record of storytelling and interest in that storytelling that needs to continue.”
But it is only recently that the star – who, from May 13, talks about her life and career as an Asian woman in the HBO Max documentary, The A-List: 15 Stories From Asian and Pacific Diasporas – has had the freedom to pick projects that are meaningful to her.
Sandra explained: “I’ve matured into being more aligned and committed to what I want to do. Now I am dedicating my time to what I think is important to put out in the world. It takes a long time, and I don’t think I felt I had a choice in what I wanted to do until recently.”
“At a certain point, you have to decide who you’re making choices for. I am doing everything I want to do – finding my own freedom within a big system, both in Hollywood and in life.”
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