Oh’s words come after recently reprising her role as Vice Principal Geraldine Gupta on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’
Sandra Oh would be happy to make another return to Genovia!
In a chat for her hit film, Quiz Lady, costarring Awkwafina, the actress excitedly said she’d “of course” reprise her Princess Diaries role as Vice Principal Geraldine Gupta — should the opportunity present itself in the future.
“Yeah, that would be hilarious. Are you kidding? Sure. Yeah,” says Oh, 52.
Remembering her time working with late director Garry Marshall on the 2001 comedy, Oh says that his “only direction” to her, which she will “always remember,” was to “go make funny.”
“And I really understood what he was saying by that,” she explains. “He just let me do whatever, really, I wanted, and that experience I’m really, really grateful for.”
Oh’s comments about The Princess Diaries franchise come after she reprised her role on the April 30th episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, introducing guest Anne Hathaway, who played Princess Mia Thermopolis in the original film and its 2004 follow-up The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. (Oh did not appear in the sequel.)
The Sympathizer actress recreated what is arguably her own most famous scene in The Princess Diaries, when she picks up the phone while seated at a desk and speaks quickly into the receiver. “Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm,” she says into the phone, before hanging up and telling the room, “The queen is coming.”
And while the royal in question in the movie is Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews), on the show, Oh’s words prompted the introduction of Hathaway, 41, who emerged onto the stage in a bright-yellow pantsuit and sporting her dazzling smile.
Oh says that people come up to her with her famous line from the original movie all the time, but it didn’t start happening until about 10 years ago — and took her by surprise.
“I’m walking down the street in Chicago, and this young man — maybe in his mid-20s, white, young guy — walks past me, runs back and just [quotes] that at me,” she says. “And I’m just like, this is usually not my demographic.”
Once the fan explained that he and his sister used to quote that scene to each other “all the time,” Oh, who is currently starring in the Off-Broadway production of The Welkin, says it really touched her.
“I love it. I do. I really love it,” she says. “You never know the things that will resonate. And Vice Principal Gupta is just taking herself so seriously there that it’s quite funny. So I’m glad.”
Quiz Lady is now streaming on Hulu.
