(Credit: Emily Shur)

When the Metropolitan Opera announced that Emmy Award–winning actress Sandra Oh would make her debut this season as the Duchess of Krakenthorp in Donizetti’s “La Fille du Régiment,” my first thought was: finally. Finally, the Met has made a casting decision that is not just exciting but relevant.

The Duchess of Krakenthorp is a speaking role, traditionally filled by guest stars from outside the opera world. Over the years, powerhouses ranging from Kathleen Turner to Ruth Bader Ginsburg have taken on this part. But Sandra Oh’s casting feels different. It signals that the Met is beginning to recognize the direction opera needs to move in: embracing cultural visibility and contemporary relevance as a way to reach new audiences.

It’s not up for debate: opera is struggling with its reputation as inaccessible and out of sync with the times. Institutions wring their hands over dwindling audiences while ignoring the most obvious tool available: the reach of artists beyond the opera world. In casting Sandra Oh– a household name for “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Killing Eve” with recent stage credits in “Twelfth Night” and “The Welkin”– the Met has made one of its smartest, most forward-thinking choices in years. 

Oh brings with her a devoted fanbase of 5.3 million Instagram followers; her announcement post with the Met drew over 18,000 likes in just 24 hours. For many of her fans, this won’t just be their first visit to the Met, it may be their first experience with opera entirely.

And no, this isn’t a stunt. While Oh has the dramatic chops to make the role land, her presence also communicates something bigger: that opera is not an insular art form. She embodies the idea that opera can be excellent and accessible at the same time. And in 2025, accessibility is not optional– it’s the only way forward.

The danger is treating this as a novelty. If opera is going to survive, this cultural moment can’t be a one-off, it must be the model: creative casting that leverages talent from other worlds paired with marketing strategies that feel current and natural.

Opera houses too often shy away from pop culture, as if relevance threatens artistic integrity. The opposite is true. Casting a beloved actor like Sandra Oh doesn’t dilute the art form– it opens the door for new audiences to discover it. With aging audiences and shrinking ticket sales, opera cannot afford to ignore the power of visibility, celebrity, and social media.

The question now is whether the Met and other houses will build on this momentum or retreat back into old habits.