Do you sometimes pinch yourself that you're in a long-running show with a potential contract of two more years?

Sandra Oh: For sure. When we first started on the show, it was really tough because there was a lot of work involved in bringing Grey's Anatomy to the screen. The first three years were full on. You would wake up, go to work, then go to sleep and wake up for work again. It was non-stop, but they've started to make it easier on us now. I'm supremely thankful and grateful to see what's going on.

How did you cope with the pressure in the first three years?

Sandra Oh: This is a very individual and very personal question - and I can't speak for anyone except myself. Taking care of my health was paramount. It was exhausting and your adrenals are shot, but everyone was on a steep learning curve back then. Not only the actors, but the crew and the writers as well. Everyone.

Do you think that TV offers more for actors these days?

Sandra Oh: That's a very interesting and multi-layered question. I have always found television welcoming and I think television is 10 to 15 years ahead of casting compared to films. Independent films are where I spent most of my life, but I'm not talking about that here. I'm talking about the giant, $200,000 gazillion films where they have two to three bankable stars. That's the way those machines are run, but they have not necessarily welcomed my skill set into its fold, so I'm not going to go there.

So why did you sign up for Grey's Anatomy?

Sandra Oh: I'm very proud of this show and I think it came along at the right time for me. It's a changing time on television because five or ten years ago you wouldn't have a major network show where half of the cast were not white. I've got to bring up Slumdog Millionaire for a second here. There's a lot of talk about why certain companies let the film go or wanted to make it straight to video - but I'm so glad that someone said, "No, I can do something with this." I don't think a lot of people saw that vision. They just thought, 'What are we going to do with a film filled with brown people that no one knows?' Someone saw its potential and look what happens. I think that's great. I think Grey's Anatomy is similar in some ways because our casting has changed television. It's great to see such a mixed cast together on a show.