I was sitting in my local library knitting with my ladies. One of the librarians stepped out of the office and announced that Catherine O’Hara had died. My brain froze. I was convinced I had heard it wrong. Then she clarified, “You know the mom on Schitt’s Creek.” I felt my eyes fill with tears. This could not be happening. Catherine O’Hara is one of my all-time favorite actresses. She is brilliant. I was definitely not ready to let her go.
Since I learned this news, I’ve been very sad. I know she is just some Hollywood (actually Canadian) star, but dammit. I loved her so much. She has given me so much laughter over the years, and I’m eternally grateful to her.
I probably first learned of Catherine from Home Alone. I love the scene with her and John Candy (a fellow Canadian) in the back of the van. She and John were both perfection and played off of each other so well. However, Home Alone is not my favorite of her works. There are three parts she played that I will always hold close to my heart and cherish.
Up first is Delia from Beetlejuice. This actually came out before Home Alone, but I think my parents made me wait to watch it. (Insert eye roll here.) Anywho, she was magnificent as the wacky artist/stepmom to the love of my life, Winona Ryder. Honestly, Catherine and Winona in a movie together! What could be better? The answer is absolutely nothing.
I was so thrilled to have them back together for the sequel nearly 30 years later. If I’m being totally honest here, Catherine stole every scene she was in. She was a hoot!
My second favorite Catherine character was Cookie Fleck in Best in Show. God, this was just the best movie—one of my all-time favorites. To be clear, I love all Christopher Guest movies, but as an admitted dog nut, this one holds a special place in my heart. Catherine and Eugene Levy could not have been funnier in this movie. It is just not humanly possible. I love them together. This is some of their best work. I will stop and watch this movie at any given time. It is a perfect movie.
Now to my very favorite Catherine role: The great Moira Rose on Schitt’s Creek. God, how this character and her dramatic accent gave me life. Moira may have gotten me through the pandemic. I actually have a huge water bottle that is covered in stickers of all Moira Rose quotes. I scoured ETSY for the different stickers. There are so many great ones! I know Dan Levy and the other writers gave her the lines, but oh my god, how she brought them to life.
My favorite Moira speech is when she tells a young Stevie to put naked pics of herself on the internet so her children will be able to see how good she looked. She argued that while Stevie may look “spooky” and have “tiny boobies,” that one day she would look at herself with kinder eyes and think, man, I was a beautiful thing. Have truer words ever been spoken!? I would kill for some nudes of me from my 20s. I don’t really want them on the internet, but they would be great to have.
If you have not watched Schitt’s Creek, start binging it this very minute. Best. Show. Ever.
I think my heart will be quite heavy for some time with this loss. I just feel like she had so much more to give us, but we never know when our time will come.
I will soldier on in a far less funny world without Catherine O’Hara. They just don’t make many like her. I’m glad I got to know her characters and the never-ending laughs they brought me. I’m better for it.
I will leave you with my favorite Moira Rose quote: “Honestly, what kind of kitten befriends a giraffe?!”
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
