Sandra Oh makes show-stopping opera debut at the New York Met

27 October 2025, 16:18

The acclaimed ‘Killing Eve’ actor’s comedic timing has been very warmly received...

Sandra Oh has made her first appearance at the Metropolitan Opera, taking on the role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp in Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment.

The production opened at the New York Met on Friday, beginning a seven-performance run. Oh’s debut has delighted fans online, who know her best from Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve but had little idea of her operatic chops.

The role of the Duchess, traditionally a spoken, comedic cameo, has previously been filled by a range of notable, and surprising, famous faces including actor Kathleen Turner, supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and drag artist Monét X Change.

Speaking to The New York Times, Oh described her excitement at performing in the famously elaborate world of opera, lamenting that her character was a misery. “All these unbelievable singers, and I have to look like a big sourpuss,” she said.

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Oh’s character is a sharp-tongued aristocrat with a flair for theatrics: “Everything has to be slower, and more deliberately carved,” she said, “The way that I would normally do comedy is to drop a line, but you cannot do that here.”

The actor, who is best known for her work in Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve, began rehearsals in early autumn, fitting the new role around her summer appearance in Twelfth Night at Shakespeare in the Park.

Comments sections on social media have been filled with fans surprised and delighted to see Oh making her Met debut.

One TikTok user wrote: “Wow, she looks like Sandra Oh... WAIT.” Another said: “I DIDN’T KNOW SANDRA OH DID OPERA.”