TV & Movies
Now people recognize me when I am grocery shopping, she says.
After a historic surgery, she calls Meredith Wonder Woman.
When An spoke that line at the table read, her castmateserupted in applause.
When the episode aired in February 2019, her legions of fans would do the same.
At the table read, I was so nervous, An, whos 83, tells Bustle.
When everyone clapped, it made me feel so happy and part of a family.
Shes also earned a moniker of her own: Queen BokHee.
BokHee An was born in 1939 in a small town in Chungnam, South Korea.
(A priest said she had too soft of a heart for the job, she remembers.)
Ans godmother introduced her to an OB-GYN in Seoul, for whom she assisted in delivering babies.
Back in Chungnam, her parents a homemaker and businessman were still pressuring their eldest daughter to marry.
(She still goes by BokHee in most tweaks.)
She credits her TV career to Linda Klein, who she met five years later.
(OnGreys, Klein cameos asNurse Linda.)
I was never nervous and really was trying to help Linda wherever I could, An says.
BokHee Ans first TV appearance came in 1983, in ABCs short-lived medical drama,Ryans Four.
(The couple separated in the 80s after years of infertility issues.)
In 2015, she retired at age 76.
Shed been a scrub nurse for 56 years.
Below, she opens up about cast departures, her relationship with Sandra Oh, and social media fandom.
You said you broke custom when you moved to Seoul to obtain an education.
How did you ultimately decide that was the right choice?
My grandparents were very wealthy.
Coming from that legacy, I had a lot of pressure to be the stereotypical Korean woman.
I felt sometimes like I was in a cage or jail.
It was very difficult for me to move to Seoul.
Its rare for a background actor to make such an impact on a fan base.
How did your character move into the spotlight?
I never looked to make an impact.
I had been there from the beginning, [so] people started to figure out who I was.
Now people recognize me when I am grocery shopping.
I hear from fans [who] play games to point out every time they see me on screen.
The fans started to call me Queen BokHee, which started as a joke on set.
Tell me about your boyfriends on set.
The boyfriend labels started as a joke.
The labels caught on, and now the running joke is that everyone is my boyfriend.
I love to make people laugh.
It is always nice working with the handsome actors.
They are not just pretty to look at, but also amazing people.
While fans love your facial expressions, do you wish your character got to speak more?
I never really think about it.
I am always open to speaking more, but I do love the mystery behind the character.
I don’t plan my expressions, but just play in the moment of the scene.
I am told I am very expressive on and off screen.
Youve been onGreysfrom the beginning, and there have been so manycast departures.
Which affected you most, and who would you most like to see come back?
Patrick Dempsey,Sandra Oh, andJustin Chamberswere the hardest to see leave.
I loved Patrick so much, and he was a lot of fun to work with.
He was always so nice to me.
Justin always made me laugh.
I would love to see them all come back.
Back when Sandra Oh was on the show, shedescribed you as a second mom.
Do you stay in touch?
I always loved working with her.
I love to see the success that she has had in her career and think of her often.
You have such a loyal fan base.
When did you realize you had such a huge following?
I laugh every time someone brings up the fact that over 600,000 people follow me on Instagram.
Even though you retired as a scrub tech, youve remained onGreys.
Why is that, and how long do you see yourself remaining on the show?
I love working on the show, but for me, it isn’t work.
At my age, you hope to have accomplished most everything you want in your life.
I want to continue my missionary work in Africa I have been doing medical missionary work for decades.
I go with general surgeons and help do free surgeries for people.
This is something very close to my heart.
As long as my health allows, I will continue doing that.
Is there anything else youd like fans to know about you?
I love playing the Korean instrument called the gayageum and have postedpictures of me playingon my Instagram.
I eat so much even though I am so little much more than huge men.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
