Sandra Oh’s seamless ability to play multi-dimensional, self-possessed female characters has always been at the forefront of her career. And beginning Aug. 20th, that will be on full display again with Netflix’s “The Chair.” The secret to her success? Well, let’s just say it comes from within.
In a recent joint interview with The Cut, Oh and “The Chair” showrunner and fellow actor Amanda Peet revealed that their creativity stems from the most intimate parts of their bodies: their vaginas. “I think we should start this conversation about vaginas and perimenopause,” said Oh. “One of the things I love about you the most is that the way you direct; it’s always straight from your vagina.”
The Interior Life of Sandra Oh Peet then pointed out how much she admires the way Oh also acts from her vagina, as it is “where creativity is stored.” “When I think about where I get my power and creativity from to do all of this, that’s where my mind goes,” Peet remarked. Oh also recalled a specific moment during production on the show where this “vagina instinct” presented itself on set. “One of my very favorite moments, not to give too much away, was when you told me in that scene in the car with Everly [Carganilla, Oh’s onscreen daughter], you said, ‘Swear at her.’ And I feel we were all moving from the vagina place of instinct,” Oh said.
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This big vagina energy of which Peet and Oh speak isn’t always easy to describe, of course, especially when working with younger actors. “I felt terrible for saying that to my young co-star,” Oh said. “But I could also feel the moment after; I could feel everyone who was on set, who was a parent… even nonparents, just the way that everyone burst out laughing was, that was real. So, if you say that you’ve never sworn, or it’s the presentation that parents don’t swear or get angry at their children, or don’t fuck up in that way, it’s not real.”
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