Sandra Oh - H 2014
AP ImagesSandra Oh has turned to crowdfunding site Indiegogo for a major post-Grey’s Anatomy gig: voicing a Canadian animation feature and helping to produce it.
Oh and Canadian director Ann Marie Fleming are collaborating on Window Horses, with key backing from crowdfunding. The Hollywood star is asking fans to contribute $130,000 to help animate the coming-of-age story about Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet of Chinese-Persian heritage who travels to Iran to perform at a poetry festival.
See more ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Cast, Creators Say Farewell to Sandra Oh
“I have full faith that, when Ann Marie completes the animation part, I will be able to take that 80-, 90- minute film and stick it in front of five, 10 people who will each write me a check,” Oh told The Hollywood Reporter about covering post-production costs down the road.
Oh, who will voice the role of Rosie Ming, with Nancy Kwan (The World of Suzie Wong) to voice her grandmother, said Window Horses marks a new beginning after her Grey’s Anatomy exit as Dr. Cristina Yang.
“A lot of people have been asking me about that. For me, the only guiding force was my heart, really. Because of that, then you are willing to dedicate your time and your energy and your effort,” Oh said of boarding Window Horses.
Read more Sandra Oh on Her ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Exit: ‘I Came Apart’
“This is not like a job for me. I love doing it. I’m so happy to talk about it. There’s a lot of things that actors have to peddle and sell. And you can tell when people really don’t care about it,” she added.
Window Horses is the first collaboration for Oh and Fleming, best known for film titles including The French Guy and The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam.
Both artists welcome the cross-cultural representations of Chinese and Persian cultures in the film via a young Canadian poet in Iran learning about her culture and long-lost father.
“I love that she’s of Chinese and Persian heritage. If we can’t get it [diversity] on TV, let’s get it on animation,” Oh said.
See more Sandra Oh on U.S. Casting Directors Chasing Rising Canadian Stars
The Indiegogo campaign is looking to cover the animation costs for lead artists Fleming and Kevin Langdale and an enlarged team of artists.
Contributors will receive perks that include a DVD of the finished film and a character in their likeness appearing in the animated film, and $5,000 gets a contributor his or her own poem animated and included in the DVD extras, plus an invitation to the film premiere and party.
