Well, would you look at that. The 2018 Emmy Awards nominations were announced this morning. Among the surprises and snubs, something historic: Sandra Oh's lead actress nomination for Killing Eve. The nod makes Oh the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series.
Sandra Oh Is the First Asian Actress Nominated for Lead in a Drama Series
Oh stars in the critically acclaimed BBC America spy thriller as Eve Polastri, a MI5 officer who is pusuing a wily assassin played by Jodie Comer. While their fierce cat-and-mouse chase plays out across Europe, both women slowly become obsessed with one another. It's a brilliant show, and Oh is pitch perfect in the kind of lead role she should have been playing years ago. She deserves the nomination. Hell, she should win.
The 46-year-old Korean Canadian happened to be with fellow Asian (American) actor Michelle Krusiec when she got the news of her Emmy nomination. They had been discussing Hansol Jung's play Wild Goose Dreams when Oh finally glanced at her phone and realized it had been blowing up on silent.
"I really love the fact that when all those calls were going off, my phone was on silent," Oh tells Vulture, "[because] Michelle and I were talking about this play about a North Korean refugee."
Omg wtf?? This is me hearing about Emmy nom w/ fellow sister @michellekrusiec - my expression is kinda ..what? pic.twitter.com/1Mwlj2FETc
— Sandra Oh (@IamSandraOh) July 12, 2018
This isn't Oh's first time flirting with Emmy gold. She was nominated five consecutive times in the supporting actress category for her work as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy, though she never won.
In fact, in the award show's 70-year run, only two Asian actors have ever taken home a trophy on Emmy night: Archie Panjabi became the first in 2010, winning for supporting actress in The Good Wife. Then last year, Riz Ahmed scored a lead actor Emmy for his incredible turn in the HBO miniseries The Night Of.
Hopefully, history gets it right this year, and we'll see Sandra Oh's name announced on Emmy night. That said, while historic moments are great, but Oh is all about the future.
"I am happy in this present moment," Oh tells the Los Angeles Times, reflecting on her nomination. "Now, let's move it forward. It's a long game. Let this be a moment where some girl who is 12 and Thai American can look at her Instagram and say, 'Huh, that can be me.' Let this be a moment where she can believe in herself."
