Jenna Ortega and Kathryn Hahn were among the stars left visibly emotional after Seth Rogen delivered a heartfelt tribute to Catherine O’Hara at the Actors Awards.
Although the Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone actor died in January, her influence on the industry and the people who worked with her continues to be felt.
O’Hara passed away on January 30 aged 71, with a pulmonary embolism later listed as her cause of death.
Before her death, one of her final screen appearances came in AppleTV’s The Studio, where she played Patty Leigh.
The series has already picked up multiple accolades, and O’Hara was recognised again last night, receiving a posthumous award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series.
Rogen, who co-wrote and stars in The Studio, accepted the honour in her place and used the moment to celebrate her talent and character.
“I was asked to assume the sad honour of accepting this award on behalf of O’Hara,” he said.
“I know she would have been honoured to receive this award from her fellow performers, who she respected so much.”
He went on to describe what it was like collaborating with her, praising how she managed to lift everyone around her while still fully owning her own ability.
Rogen continued: “I’ve been reflecting on the time I was fortunate enough to spend with her and working with her and something I’ve been marvelling at is her ability to be generous and kind and gracious, while never minimising her own talent and her own ability to contribute to the work we were doing.
“She knew she could destroy and she wanted to destroy every day.”
He also shared a behind-the-scenes detail that, to him, captured O’Hara’s commitment: the night before shooting, she would email him and co-creator Evan Goldberg with ‘a completely rewritten version of the scene she was in, it made not just her character better, but her scene better and the show better’.
“It showed you can be a genius and be kind and one does not have to come at the expense of the other,” he continued.
Watch his full speech here:
As Rogen spoke, the broadcast cut through the audience, where Ortega (who appeared alongside O’Hara in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice) and The Studio castmate Kathryn Hahn could be seen tearing up.
Others in the room also appeared deeply affected as he reflected on O’Hara’s legacy and the standard she set both professionally and personally.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email [email protected].