Sandra Oh was told to "go back home" because she wouldn't make it in Hollywood as an unknown Asian actress.
Sandra Oh
The 'Killing Eve' star - who was born in Canada to Korean immigrant parents - was warned by an agent that her chances of success were slim because of her heritage and advised to find success elsewhere before returning to America.
She recalled: "She said, 'Listen, I'm not going to lie' - and that was, I think, what was so painful - 'I'm going to tell you the truth.'
"It was basically, 'Go back home and get famous, and then try and make a transition because I already have an Asian actress on my roster, and she hasn't auditioned in three months. I don't know what I could do for you.'"
The 48-year-old actress is also pleased she didn't become a household name around the world until later in life.
She added: "I'm grateful that it's happened at 47, because I've done enough work on myself to really experience it. And then, too, it just has deeper meaning for me."
Sandra - who divorced filmmaker Alexander Payne in 2006 - admitted she has previously explored the idea of having a child and raising them alone but how feels "fulfilled" as an aunt to the children of both her two siblings and also her friends' kids.
She told Britain's Marie Claire magazine: "I went through that period, I'd say in my mid to late 30s into 40, where it was like, 'I make a great living and I could do this on my own,' and I didn't.
"I have an extremely fulfilling life as an aunt, not only to my nieces and nephews but also to a lot of my friends' children."
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