Here's Why Ellen Pompeo Is OK With Sandra Oh's Not Returning to Grey's Anatomy

One of the most dynamic duos in Grey's Anatomy history is Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh). But sadly, their iconic reign ended when Oh left the series in 2013. The actress has been quite busy since then, most recently starring in the critically acclaimed BBC America series Killing Eve. (She picked up a Golden Globe Award for her performance in the show earlier this year.)

Even still, people are stuck on the idea of Oh's making a return to Grey's Anatomy sometime in the future. After all, she was a pivotal part of the long-running series, which may end with season 16, so fans are hoping for some on-screen magic before time runs out.

Unfortunately, this isn't something on Oh's mind at the moment. "I get [the Grey’s] question regularly, and I answer it really based on what I’m feeling that day—and today [my answer] is no,” she told TV Line last June.

And this is something Pompeo is cool with—even though she "selfishly" wants Oh to resurrect Cristina Yang. Her reasoning? She's happy Oh is finding success and fulfillment in her current work.

“Selfishly I would love to see Sandra Oh come back to Grey’s,” Pompeo told TV Line this week. “But I also love Killing Eve so much, and I love seeing her have so many of these incredible moments. So, as much as I love Sandra, I’d rather see her shine out on her own. I enjoy that more. That‘s more gratifying to me.” Spoken like a true friend!

According to TV Line, Oh's affection for Killing Eve is a major reason why a return to Grey's isn't on her radar. “I love Eve. I really love her," Oh told the outlet. “I also love Cristina Yang. I’m constantly stunned at the response I still get from [Grey’s fans], you know? It’s so fantastic, and it pleases me. It gives me a tremendous amount of satisfaction that, you know, you did work that actually continues going on past the time that you’ve left it… It’s really phenomenal. And the only way that I think I can continue doing good work is just staying true to my own compass. And that compass is pointing north.”

No matter where her compass points, though, we'll always have the 200+ episodes of Grey's featuring Cristina to keep us warm. And good news: They're all streaming on Netflix.

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