Catherine O’Hara has passed away on January 30 at the age of 71, and many are mourning the loss of the iconic actress. She was known for portraying Kevin McCallister’s mom in “Home Alone,” as well as the hilarious Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek.”
O’Hara played Rose to perfection, giving her character an accent that couldn’t be placed to any region or location, and wore over-the-top outfits which stood out in the fictional town of Schitt’s Creek.
Rose was one of O’Hara’s best roles in her long and industrious career, and here’s everything she has said about her award-winning show.
Eugene Levy Convinced O’Hara to Star in ‘Schitt’s Creek’
GettyO’Hara and “Schitt’s Creek” co-creator, Eugene Levy, had a long history, with the two acting together since the ’70s. When he reached out to her to star in the hit sitcom, she initially hesitated but eventually gave in.
“Ever since ‘SCTV,’ I’ve had an aversion to locking into one character for any length of time. But he convinced me to come to a pilot presentation, and I loved it. He tricked me!” O’Hara told Newsweek in 2019.
She added, “The pilot presentation was just fun. It was great to look at the two of them, Eugene and Daniel, standing together, playing father and son. It honestly kind of brought tears to my eyes the first time, because I’ve known Daniel since before he was born.”
How O’Hara Created Moira’s Distinct Voice
The matriarch of “Schitt’s Creek” is known for her dramatic flair and bespoke accent, which O’Hara had a hand in creating.
“I’ve met people whose accents have nothing to do with where they were born or raised — they want to reinvent themselves,” she said to Newsweek.
“Everything about Moira comes from the potential she believes she has. I didn’t do this intentionally, but it’s almost like she wants to sound somewhere between Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn,” O’Hara shared.
The actress continued, “I’ve got dictionaries of obscure words that helped me with the arcane vocabulary. I want to have Moira learn a new word every day—to not only educate herself but to educate everyone in the town. Then, using the new vocabulary, which I wish I could retain, I love to stretch out the syllables.”
O’Hara shared with Vulture that getting into character helps bring out her inner Moira. “For Moira, I get my hair done, I get my makeup, I get those clothes on. They make me stand differently and walk differently. I explain the voice as souvenirs from all my world travel,” she said.
‘Schitt’s Creek’ Was the It Show of 2020
“Schitt’s Creek” originally aired on Canada’s CBC Television in January 2015, with its final season in April 2020.
The show made its way to Netflix in 2017, and the final season began streaming in October 2020, giving many viewers a respite from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s like the show was made for the pandemic: we were a family holed up together, forced to get to know each other, and in the Roses’ case, they ended up loving it. So maybe it can be a lesson in embracing the situation,” O’Hara said in an interview with The Guardian in 2021.
That year, O’Hara won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead in a Comedy Series. “I will be forever grateful to Dan and Eugene Levy for restoring upon me the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age, who gets to fully be her ridiculous self,” she said in her acceptance speech.
O’Hara finished with, “Though these are the strangest of days, may you have as much joy being holed up in a room or two with your family as I had my dear Roses.”
O’Hara Wished For an On-Screen Reunion With Her ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Family
Getty“Schitt’s Creek” ended after six seasons because Daniel and Eugene Levy felt the Roses’ story had come to its natural conclusion. “I at no point wanted to compromise on quality or storytelling. It just didn’t feel like it was worth the risk to take it any further,” Daniel told Variety.
He continued, “The goal was at the end of this show, this family will realize the value of love. Money can temporarily bandage a lot of things. But they would never be able to buy the kind of closeness that they have by the end of the series.”
In 2024, O’Hara expressed her desire to revive her “Schitt’s Creek” character in some capacity. “I would love to. We did a bit of a tour after we finished the show, and it was so much fun. I’d love to just be with them all again. Doing a movie would be wonderful. Yeah, I hope it happens,” she told People.
