Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh is making her return to the small screen in the new Netflix series “The Chair”.
In the new dark comedy, which is already earning rave reviews, Oh plays the first woman chair of an English department at the prestigious Pembroke University.
A logline for the series explains, “Ji-Yoon (Sandra Oh) is faced with a unique set of challenges as the first woman to chair the department, and as one of the few staff members of colour at the university.”
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Speaking with ET Canada’s Sangita Patel, the Canadian-born actress and the show’s co-creator Amanda Peet dish on the new series, with Peet revealing Oh was always her first choice to play the titular role.
“Once I started obsessing about Sandra, which was quite early on in the writing process, I couldn’t get over her,” she admits. “There are a lot of actresses who can’t play romance, they can play at it, but they can’t really convey having a crush on someone in a really profound way. She was like the only person for me, so I was hell-bent on getting her.”
As for the “Grey’s Anatomy” alum, she was “excited and hungry” after reading the script and “ready to give it my all.”
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The duo hope the new series will inspire more diversity and representation in Hollywood.
“There are plenty enough diverse people who have stories to tell and can tell them in a unique way,” says Oh.
Peet adds, “We just need more women, we need more women of colour.”
“The Chair” premieres Aug. 20 on Netflix.
