HomeEntertainmentTVChandra Wilson Says Sandra Oh Used to Tell Her She Wanted to...

Chandra Wilson Says Sandra Oh Used to Tell Her She Wanted to Compete on Dancing with the Stars ‘All the Time’

Sandra Oh once dreamed of trading in her scrubs for ballroom shoes, according to her former costar.

While speaking with PEOPLE ahead of the Grey’s Anatomy season 23 premiere, Chandra Wilson, who has played Dr. Miranda Bailey since 2005, revealed that her former costar expressed interest in competing Dancing with the Stars “all the time.”

“I’m surprised that she has let that one slip by, because she was actually somebody that talked about it,” Wilson tells PEOPLE of Oh, who starred as Dr. Cristina Yang for 10 seasons until she left the cast in 2014, when her character accepted a new role running a cardiothoracic department in Switzerland.

Sandra Oh as Dr. Yang and Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey on 'Grey's Anatomy' season 3.
Sandra Oh as Dr. Yang and Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 3.Karen Neal/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Oh’s character famously loved to “dance it out” with her twisted sister Dr. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), but the Killing Eve alum has yet to compete on the ABC dance series.

Wilson even jokes that it’s time to encourage Oh to finally give the competition a shot. “We gotta put the pressure, that’s what we have to do,” she says.

Meanwhile, Harry Shum Jr., who plays surgical resident Dr. Benson Kwan, is in the middle of competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy as part of the season 35 cast — and Wilson and the rest of the Grey’s Anatomy cast are in full support.

Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr. on 'Dancing with the Stars' season 35.
Jenna Johnson and Harry Shum Jr. on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ season 35.

“We [are] team Harry the whole way,” she says. Since the competition began, Wilson says the cast and crew have gathered around a jumbo TV on the Los Angeles set to watch the show and cast their votes during the East Coast broadcast.

“We couldn’t be more proud of him, more excited for him. I know that he’s having an amazing time, even though he comes into work all broke down and sore,” the actress continues. “It’s like, ‘Whatever you need, Harry. You need to sit down, you need some ice?’ ”

Chandra Wilson and Harry Shum Jr. in Grey's Anatomy.
Chandra Wilson as Dr. Bailey and Harry Shum Jr. as Dr. Kwan in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 22.Anne Marie Fox/Disney

Shum Jr. has continued filming season 23 of Grey’s Anatomy while competing on the show, even finding time to practice with his pro dance partner Jenna Johnson while on set.

“I’ve got the best of both worlds being on Grey’s Anatomy & Dancing with the Stars!!” the Glee alum wrote on Instagram in September 2026, a few days after paying homage to the medical drama during his premiere episode dance.

Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, and Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.