Mayor Jim Watson presents Nepean-born actress Sandra Oh with the key to the city.
Ottawa native Sandra Oh was presented with the key to the city by Mayor Jim Watson in recognition of her national and international accomplishments in the field of the performing arts.
“I think I have to ask the question I’m sure every recipient asks. What exactly does the key open?” quipped Oh at the City Hall ceremony held Monday night, where she was joined by her family and friends.
In addition to receiving the city’s highest honour, Oh was given a white coat and pair of surgical scrubs from Dr. Robert Roberts of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, in appreciation of her work on the popular medical drama series Grey’s Anatomy.
Oh, who was born and raised in Nepean, appeared in her first play, The Canada Goose, at the age of 10. She attended Sir Robert Borden High School where she was heavily involved in drama courses and theatre productions.
Oh competed in the high school Improv Games and was invited to join the improv troupe Skit Row High. The Grey’s Anatomy star recalled her improv training at a press conference held before the ceremony. She said she relies on her improv background every day she is on set. “I can’t tell you how much that training affected my career,” she said.
She later attended the National Theatre School of Canada to study drama and soon landed roles in Canadian film and television productions before moving to Los Angeles.
Oh won a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy. She has also appeared in films such as Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), Hard Candy (2005) – with fellow Canadian actress Ellen Page – and the acclaimed dramedy Sideways (2004). In 2011, Oh was honoured with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
“I have shamelessly brought my parents to almost every single award show I have ever been to,” she said. “My parents have been a very big part of my awards life, but this is very different. My entire family is here and the entire community that I grew up with is here.”
Other key to the city recipients include author Margaret Atwood, actor Dan Aykroyd, and late figure skating champion Barbara Ann Scott.