IN MEMORIAM: Catherine O’Hara Remembered for Iconic Roles and Timeless Comedy

Summary

Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist

IN MEMORIAM: Catherine O’Hara Remembered for Iconic Roles and Timeless Comedy

Release Date: January 31, 2026
Podcast Host: Willie Geist
Guest: Catherine O'Hara

Episode Overview

This special re-release episode honors the late, great Catherine O’Hara, focusing on her legendary career in comedy across film and television. Originally recorded in early 2024 during her press tour for “Argylle,” the conversation spans O’Hara’s journey from her comedic roots in Canada to her most beloved roles, including “Schitt’s Creek,” “Home Alone,” “Beetlejuice,” and the Christopher Guest mockumentaries. The episode is affectionate and insightful, providing a heartfelt portrait of O’Hara’s singular talent, wit, and legacy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “Argylle” Experience: Comedy, Action, and Spycraft

• Setting: Interview conducted at the New York Spy Museum, creating a tongue-in-cheek connection with “Argylle’s” spy theme.
• O’Hara’s Role:
  • O’Hara plays the mother of a famous spy novelist (played by Bryce Dallas Howard); she jokes about being typecast as “the mom” ([06:14]).
  • "I guess I think Matthew Vaughn hired [me] because I’m known as a mother. My own kids would argue with him." – Catherine O'Hara ([05:58])
• On the Film’s Energy:
  • Praises Matthew Vaughn’s “amazing team of stunt artists – They’re artists. They’re geniuses… watching them up close required no editing. It really looked like they were killing each other. Beautiful men and women... That was fun. I’ve never been on a set with action like that.” ([07:00]–[07:38])
  • Notes Vaughn’s improvisational direction style, adapting action sequences on set for character beats ([07:49]).
• Cast Chemistry:
  • Highlights working with Bryan Cranston and others, recounts Cranston’s comedic talents off-screen ([09:43]-[10:05]).
  • On Cranston: “He’s just nuts funny—but not like somebody like, stop. It’s like, yes, more please.” ([10:02])
• Audience Impact:
  • “It really is a big fat beautiful piece of entertainment, isn’t it?... And I’m not a good liar, so I’m telling the truth, I swear.” ([10:59]–[11:12])
  • Desires to see the film with a live crowd, especially the interactive New York audience ([12:25]–[13:02]).

2. The Phenomenon of "Schitt’s Creek"

• Cultural Impact:

  • O’Hara reflects on the show’s initial cult status in Canada, its explosion globally thanks to Netflix during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its unique resonance with families quarantined together ([13:28]–[15:16]).
  • Geist: “It's just one of the best shows ever made. For my money.” ([13:18])

• Emotional Reception:

  • The live shows after the series ended provided cathartic reunions for fans who felt a deep communal bond ([15:24]-[16:30]).

• Surprise Second-Wind Success:

  • “It was the next day when Netflix put it out to the world… [people said] I just started watching it last week and I’ve watched three seasons in one night.” ([16:16])

• Award Season Stories:

  • Won Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG – all after the show had wrapped ([17:09]).
  • Shares a comedic story of her “playoff music” bit at the Golden Globes and the viral misunderstanding it caused online ([18:17]-[19:23]):
    • “‘The comments afterwards... the most selfish, jealous husband… he got on his phone to talk to friends. I was like, nobody understood what we were doing. Maybe two people.’” – Catherine O’Hara ([19:08])

• Moira Character Deep-Dive:

  • Construction of Moira Rose’s accent and look was intentionally inconsistent and ever-evolving, inspired in part by Madonna’s chameleon personas and by real women O’Hara knew ([19:39]-[23:52]).
  • “The mistake most people make is being consistent. It’s like, no, don’t. Don’t try to be one thing. I kept changing.” ([21:31])
  • Describes the collaborative process with Eugene and Daniel Levy, and the wardrobe team's dedication ([23:31]-[23:52]).
  • The wedding episode’s “officiant look” was a hush-worthy moment on set ([23:57]), with O’Hara and Geist sharing laughter and awe.

3. Early Life & Roots in Comedy

• Irish Heritage and Family Humor:
  • Comedy was “demanded more than encouraged” at her busy family dinner table; her parents, especially her mother, were comedic performers at home ([27:12]-[28:41]).
  • “You better have something at least funny to say, if not interesting.” ([28:14])
• Path to Performance:
  • High school theater ignited her interest ([29:55]).
  • Her brother introduced her to Gilda Radner, who became a role model and inspiration ([30:02]-[31:35]).
    • “She was so lovely and fun and the way you’d want to think she is from watching her. She was really that. She was just sweet and giving…” ([31:36])
  • Joined Second City at 19, learning directly from future icons like John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Dan Aykroyd ([32:22]-[32:53]).

4. TV & Film Legacy: SCTV, SNL Decision, Cult Hits

• SCTV:
  • Looks back with fondness at the camaraderie of SCTV, and how its late-night time slot made fans feel like they were in on a secret, similar to Monty Python ([33:00]-[33:55]).
  • Credits SCTV and Second City as perfect training grounds for improvisational thinking ([34:08]).
    • “You learn to think on your feet… and to listen to others. Sorry.”
• SNL Experience:
  • Tells the story of nearly joining Saturday Night Live but returning to SCTV; admits to a faux pas in criticizing an SNL segment on Bob Costas's show, maybe burning a bridge ([35:01]-[36:15]):
    • “I think I burned that bridge, though… Never been on again, never been asked back... It’s a bad thing to get defensive—you can’t blame others.”

5. Iconic Films & Enduring Influence

• Early Movies & Beetlejuice:
  • Before Beetlejuice: Worked with Martin Scorsese (“After Hours”), Mike Nichols (“Heartburn”) — both fans of Second City and SCTV ([38:20]-[38:39]).
    • “You never know who’s watching, right?” ([38:39])
  • Beetlejuice as a breakthrough—met her husband on set; describes filming the sequel with the same sense of fun ([39:05]-[39:54]).
    • Pleads with Tim Burton to “digitally youth-enize” her character for the sequel ([39:14]).
• Home Alone:
  • Forever linked with the “Home Alone” franchise; still teased by children about “abandonment” ([42:23]-[43:12]).
    • “Isn’t that called abandonment?” – anonymous child fan to Catherine O’Hara ([43:10])
  • Remembers presenting Macaulay Culkin’s Hollywood star, and how his performance is the true lasting memory of the film ([41:33]).
• The Christopher Guest Mockumentaries:
  • Describes the unique, fully-improvised process on films like “Best in Show,” “A Mighty Wind,” and the joy of working with so many comedic writers and actors ([45:38]-[47:16]).
    • “To watch all those people like John Michael Higgins… I would accuse him all the time of writing ahead of time. He goes, ‘How would I write ahead? I don’t know what they’re gonna say.’ …It was beautiful to watch all those people in person.”
  • Emphasizes the value of being both a comedy performer and a writer within improv.

6. Legacy, Impact, and What’s Next

• Dan Levy & the Future:
  • Welcomes the idea of a “Schitt’s Creek” movie, but wants it to be worthy of the show’s legacy:
    • “…the people who watched our show were so kind and so supportive and so with us, that you want to honor that by doing something good as opposed to just taking advantage… I hope, I hope he comes up with a great idea and that we’re able to do it.” ([48:11])
  • “I miss everybody. I really do.” ([48:42])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Moira’s Accent:

  “The mistake most people make is being consistent. …I kept changing.”
  — Catherine O’Hara, (21:31)

• On Home Alone’s Lasting Appeal:

  “He is the enduring legacy of that movie. That child, that face, that natural acting, just, like, what are you all doing in my home?...”
  — Catherine O’Hara, (41:33)

• On Improv in Mockumentaries:

  “People always say, was there some ad-libbing? All the dialogue. I mean, there’s great ideas, beautiful inspiration in the script… but all the dialogue is improvised.”
  — Catherine O’Hara, (45:38)

• On Comedy and Family:

  “In my upbringing, [humor] was encouraged and we were fortunate enough to be able to laugh… It was demanded more than encouraged in our home. When you have that many people at the table, you better have something at least funny to say, if not interesting.”
  — Catherine O’Hara, (28:13)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Remembrance of Catherine O’Hara, career overview — [01:06]–[03:08]
• Argylle & the spy genre, working with Matthew Vaughn — [03:08]–[09:28]
• Working with the cast (Bryan Cranston, etc.) — [09:28]–[10:21]
• Dedication to the film’s fun & O'Hara’s “mom” archetype — [10:59]–[12:36]
• Audience interaction, NYC movie crowds — [12:25]–[13:02]
• “Schitt’s Creek,” pandemic popularity, live shows — [13:16]–[16:30]
• Awards for Schitt’s Creek, viral Golden Globes moment — [17:09]–[19:28]
• Moira Rose: the accent, the wig process, character creation — [19:39]–[23:31]
• Early years—family, Gilda Radner, Second City — [26:56]–[33:47]
• SCTV, improv training, SNL decision — [34:04]–[36:15]
• Film breakthroughs, Beetlejuice, Home Alone — [38:07]–[43:10]
• Mockumentaries, improv with Christopher Guest’s troupe — [45:38]–[47:48]
• On possibility of “Schitt’s Creek” movie — [47:50]–[48:42]

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Final Reflections

This episode serves as a celebration of Catherine O’Hara’s artistry, kindness, and impact on generations of comedy fans and collaborators. Through Geist’s insightful questions and O’Hara’s open, self-deprecating humor, listeners are reminded why she remains an icon: endlessly creative, generous in spirit, and synonymous with joyous entertainment.

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For fans and newcomers alike, this conversation is a loving farewell and a testament to O’Hara’s timeless place in the world of comedy.

Transcript

[Willie Geist]

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[Willie Geist]

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with a special edition of the Sunday Sit Down Podcast. I'm coming to you on the sad occasion of the death of the great Catherine O' Hara at the age of 71. We got the news that has shaken so many people because she is so beloved and she's been in our lives for so long and made us laugh so much and been in so many great movies and TV shows. Most recently the Studio, the hysterically funny, critically acclaimed Seth Rogen Show. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and for an Emmy for that as well. Of course Schitt's Creek, maybe most famously, where she played Moira Rose, just one of the best characters in the history of television. She won all the awards for that one Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG Award. She was incredible. And that show, I suspect a lot of people are rewatching Schitt's Creek tonight in her honor. And of course all the movies that you know about. She was the mom in Home Alone in the sequel as well, of course Beetlejuice. And then the great, great Christopher Guest mockumentaries like Best in Show for your consideration, A Mighty Wind. She was so great in all those. Man, this one really hits. She was a special person and she could step onto a screen and always make you laugh, always make you happy. That she was there and she will be missed. So we thought we would repost my conversation with her from early 2024, about two years ago, on the occasion of the release of a movie she was in called Argylle. We talk a little bit about that, but really about her incredible journey from an 18 year old aspiring Canadian comedienne to become really one of the great icons of comedy. So it is with and respect and sadness that we sit down now and spend some time once again with the late, great Catherine o' Hara on the Sunday sit down podcast. Catherine, thank you for doing this.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Well, thank you very much. Thanks for your time.

[Willie Geist]

I'm so happy to be talking to you. And we're in a spy museum. Were you aware of that? This is the New York Spy Museum skyscape.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Right. And you come here and learn about spies and pretend to be one.

[Willie Geist]

Exactly.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Ah.

[Willie Geist]

And we might try that later. They did want us to do one of those rooms where you sort of roll under and over lasers and things to get to a target. I thought maybe we shouldn't do that.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I had a nickel.

[Willie Geist]

I don't think I'm nimble enough to pull that off.

[Catherine O'Hara]

No.

[Willie Geist]

But the reason we're at the skyscape, the spy museum, is because the film Argyle. Oh, I see that there's a spy theme.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Starting to get it.

[Willie Geist]

See, now we make the connection, Right?

[Catherine O'Hara]

There are spies in this movie.

[Willie Geist]

It's a little heavy handed, but here we are.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, that's lovely.

[Willie Geist]

So I was just telling you, I just got finished watching Argyle, which is so much fun.

[Catherine O'Hara]

It really is.

[Willie Geist]

And just wild, isn't it? Funny and full of action and romantic. It's got a little bit of everything.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And a sense of humor.

[Willie Geist]

And a sense of humor.

[Catherine O'Hara]

It's like not taking itself seriously, which is great.

[Willie Geist]

And we should say right at the outset, there's a lot about this movie I cannot say and will not say.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah, I know.

[Willie Geist]

Because a lot happens. It's a journey.

[Catherine O'Hara]

There's great twists and turns. And I read the script and I still forgot things when I was watching the movie. Oh, my God.

[Commercial Announcer]

Oh, wow.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. But I don't even want. We've been saying a lot about this. Not. We've been saying a lot about how we can't say anything. And I don't want to push it so hard that people start. That people spend any time doing that, watching the movie.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Like, who cares that there are surprises? I want to kind of go the other way now.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Because if it were me and I'd been told that I'm doing this anyway. When I watch anything, I'm like, oh, I bet this is. I drive my husband nuts. He would attest to this, like, shut. I don't care that you guess this. You know what? Oh, you know what he's gonna do. So if you're like me, it's really gonna spoil the movie for you to even think there are surprises you don't wanna be too. So there are no surprises in this movie. Let me just tell you that.

[Willie Geist]

I take back everything I said. So how do you describe, without getting into the details of it, what this is? I mean, a spy movie is just the tip of the iceberg, sort of.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Bryce Dallas Howard plays a spy novelist, very successful one. So now she's on her fifth or sixth novel. I can't. I forget. I've seen the clip a lot, but I forget. But she's on her next book and everybody's waiting to read it. You know, it's like bigger than Bond books and very successful, but leads a very quiet private life. Just her and her cat. And then at one point, she gets kidnapped by somebody who turns out to be a real spy and says she knows way more than she should know about that world. And she's like, I do a lot of research, thank you. I work really hard. Goes from there.

[Willie Geist]

And your character, we can say at least Ruth is.

[Catherine O'Hara]

No, I can't. Is in the movie.

[Willie Geist]

That's all we're saying. Wow, this is gonna be a brief interview.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Well, I'll say it's stunt casting. I'll say this because I've had about 70 children on film. So I guess I think Matthew Vaughn hired because I'm known as a mother. My own kids would argue with him.

[Willie Geist]

He also said he had to have people in this movie who could do comedy and drama in equal parts, which certainly qualify for that. So when you did sit down and read this script and hear about this character, what was your first reaction to it?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Why me? But sure, thanks. Yeah, I think the mother thing is why. Now I get it. But no, it just reads great. Yeah. Jason Fuchs wrote this great. I think he wrote spec script. And this is what it is. Really, really good. Jason Fuchs, in case I didn't say his name clearly. It is a page turner. Cheesy phrase to use, but I can't think of anything better. Yeah. Really is almost as exciting as the movie to read. You turn a page.

[Willie Geist]

What?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, yeah. Okay. It was a real fun read and a fun. Different thing for me. I thought I knew. I really Love the Kingsman movie, especially the first one. I love them all, but the first one. And I thought, wow. I've never really been up close with stunt works, with stunt work and stunt artists. And he. Matthew Vaughn has the most amazing team of stunt artists. They're artists. They're geniuses. They're beautiful. Beautiful. People watching them up close required no editing. It really looked like they were killing each other. Really beautiful men and women. And just. That was fun. I've never been on a set with action like that.

[Willie Geist]

And there's tons of.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Just a bunch of kids.

[Willie Geist]

The. Tons of action, but also sort of beautifully choreographed.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, it's music and visual.

[Willie Geist]

It is. It's actually literally dance.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, it is, yeah. And then Matthew, you know, they'd be. They'd choreograph this. I think actually, the stunt coordinator who also did second unit, Darvin, died, but a couple of months before they started shooting. Yeah. So the movie's dedicated to him. Sorry, don't know his name. That's terrible. But. So he designed the original choreography. But even they'd get there on the day and, you know, it was great the way Matthew directed it according to characters and what the character would be going through at that point. And being on the set then and working with the actors, I guess made him see things a little differently. And he would, like, on the spot, say, oh, no, do something different. No, why don't we have this. I mean, a giant move that involved, again, amazing choreography and dance and hurting somebody or not killing somebody, you know, just. And they would do it. They would pull it together. Like, that was really. That was exciting to watch.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And then a great cast to work with.

[Willie Geist]

Well, I was gonna ask you about that. I imagine when you sit back and get offers and decide what you want to do.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I sit back.

[Willie Geist]

Yes. Yes. No, you just cast them aside. No, but it's a big part of that decision. Who do I get to work with? Who's in it?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. And will it be cold where I go? Did you watch Society of Snow?

[Willie Geist]

Yes.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, my God. I watched that. And I think, okay. When they read that, did they think about what would be happening to them when they were shooting?

[Willie Geist]

How long was the shoot?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. Is it gonna be on stage or is it really gonna be real, or. Yeah, no. Yeah, the people. Definitely the people. And, you know, the script. It starts with the script. You think, oh, wow, could I actually be part of this? And then who you're gonna work with, you know, under. Who you're going to work with. And. Yeah, they'd already had. I think they already. Well, they already had Bryce and Sam Rockwell.

[Willie Geist]

Love him.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Love him. And Bryan Cranston, I think was already on. They're the people I worked with. I didn't really get to work with the other, did I? No. Henry Cavill I just met yesterday.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, is that right?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. He's lovely.

[Willie Geist]

We're just talking about Bryan. You two are so great together. Bryan Cranston.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Isn't he great? Do people remember how funny he is? Because he's, you know, Breaking Bad in your honor. Not the most hilarious roles, but great dramatic actors always have humor. I think you can see it, you know, in their performances, but off camera, too. He's just nuts funny, but not like somebody like. Stop. It's like. Yes. More, please.

[Willie Geist]

Right, right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. Really, really funny.

[Willie Geist]

And just a good guy, too.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah, Isn't he?

[Willie Geist]

Decent guy.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. Very good on talk shows, isn't he? Sorry to mention another show, but he was on Cold Bear the other night. He just kept lying about what he was doing. Yeah. This bear playing custard. Really? No. Yeah. And this has happened that day. Really? No.

[Willie Geist]

Keeps you off balance a little bit.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. Love it.

[Willie Geist]

You mentioned it. And we're not giving away too much, but there's some action, Your character in particular, right?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yes. I stir muffin mix and I do many wonderful things. Yeah, I know. A little more than that.

[Willie Geist]

I can.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I know I witnessed a lot of action. Well, you know, I guess I play. The author's in trouble. And I play the author's mother, so the author's mother could get in trouble. I say I play the author's mother.

[Willie Geist]

Yes.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yes. This is.

[Willie Geist]

I like the cryptic.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I know. See, I don't want to push it.

[Willie Geist]

No, it's perfect.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. I don't want to push it.

[Willie Geist]

Now people have to go see what we're talking about.

[Catherine O'Hara]

They should go see it. It really is a big fat beautiful piece of entertainment, isn't it?

[Willie Geist]

It is.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. Really. And I'm not a good liar, so I'm telling the truth, I swear. It really is a fun movie now.

[Willie Geist]

It's fun and it's full of people you like yourself at the top of the list.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And there's sexy people in it.

[Willie Geist]

Sure, sure. Right out of the gate there. For sure.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Some love, some romance. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

When you sat down and watched it for the first time.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

And you saw different pieces come together, your thought was, is this what I thought it was going to be when I read it?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, no, it was way more.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And then the. I hope I can say this. The newest Beatles song. Am I allowed to say that?

[Willie Geist]

I think so.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And it was before we all knew about it, because we just heard it a couple of months ago.

[Willie Geist]

Right, right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

At least a year ago. He's been. Matthew Foster. He's been having to keep this secret for a year. Yeah. The song that John Lennon, Paul McCartney produced. Yeah. Yeah. Really? Really. It's a beautiful use of it, don't you think? And then they orchestrate it later in the movie. Yeah. So that was new to me, of course, that I'd never. You know, even though I saw the stunt artists, dancers do their work in front of me, then seeing with some of the effects added was amazing. And I forgot a lot of the twists and turns, but I only saw it with my husband and some security guy sitting over there. So it's not. You know, I want to see this movie with a crowd. I think it'd be a fun crowd. Did you see it?

[Willie Geist]

Oh, for sure. I watched it privately. But yes, but I actually was. I've already been telling people about it. It's a good go to the theater thing.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Right. I definitely want to see it, I would say in Times Square, where people yell at Scream.

[Willie Geist]

They will, too.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Remember seeing the head that rocks the cradle in Times Square?

[Willie Geist]

Is that right?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. You remember that? Yeah. And the girl kidnaps the baby, then she's trying to nurse her. Nurse the baby. It's like, no. And they had a shot of the baby looking up, and somebody always went, who are you? From the baby's point of view, this made everyone really laugh.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah. Movie fans in New York view it, I think, as a dialogue. They're gonna talk to the screen. They're a part of the show, for sure.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Like the original Shakespeare theater was like that, wasn't it?

[Willie Geist]

Yes.

[Catherine O'Hara]

It was interactive between the audience. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

They're part of the show. Well, it's a really fun movie. People are gonna love it. And we'll just leave it at that. Leave it there.

[Catherine O'Hara]

It's worth seeing, I think, for sure.

[Willie Geist]

I was just talking to you before we sat down, too, about Schitt's Creek, which, my gosh, is just one of the best shows ever made. For my money.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And timing. The timing was pretty amazing.

[Willie Geist]

Well, that's what I was gonna ask you about because the show came out in 2015, but it really blew up right around pandemic time. Is that fair to say? Oh, yeah.

[Catherine O'Hara]

No, it did.

[Willie Geist]

I came to it.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. We. Yeah. Did we start in. I guess we started in 2014. Then maybe it came out in 15.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Okay. And CBC in Canada produced it and just gave Eugene and Daniel all the freedom they wanted and deserved, really. And let them do the show they dreamed of doing and had the right tone and beautiful writing and great cast, but they let them do the show and they promoted it really well in Canada. But outside of Canada, nobody knew it was on Pop Network here in the us But I don't think most of. Even I didn't know when it was on, which is terrible to say, but thank you, Pop. And then we ended the show. Self inflicted ending in after six seasons. Had no intention of doing it the next year. The next year Covid happened. We couldn't have done the show. So many shows couldn't happen. Right. Because of it. No, we didn't. And so it still played on CBC and Pop. And then Netflix picked it up at the same time that we happened to play a family in which the parents lived with their adult children, holed up under one roof, all together, forced to live together. Suddenly we're in this world where millions and millions of people are living, if they're lucky and have a roof over them, they live that way. And then Netflix puts it out to the world that's living that way. And so I hate to say Covid was good for anything, but. No, it wasn't.

[Willie Geist]

Sorry, it was terrible, but it was hilarious. But also, that love, that's what made.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I think, Sarah, it was ripped with love, wasn't it? Yeah. It's a world that Daniel wishes we lived in. And the world I wish we'd live in too. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

So what was it like when that second bump came, that almost slow burn when it really blew up. Were you surprised by that?

[Catherine O'Hara]

It was the next day when Netflix put it out to the world then. Yeah, the next day. People talking to us about it. And then there's still people. I still meet people. Why not? I'm not expecting anyone to watch it, but I still meet people who say, you know, I just started watching it last week and I've watched three seasons in one night. It's so great. Yeah, it's really lovely. And so many people telling us that we got them through Covid and, you know, but that was too. That was them being with their families. That's what got them through. It's the whole, you know, we were there and I think we presented a nice, fun show, but they were also together and that's what was lovely when we would do these. I don't do them anymore. I miss them. We did some Live shows for a while. And I swear, the crowd, they had been holed up in their homes watching the show. But they had this Internet on the online community. And then they got to see each other. We were just kind of maybe a bonus that we were also there because they were so happy to see each other. And it was really fun to witness this love between all of them. And it was really fun to get out there and meet our lovely people who watch the show.

[Willie Geist]

Had you sort of professionally moved on from it by the time this explosion happened?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Professionally? No, I wouldn't say professionally. Because I think every job I've gotten since Shit's Got Creek is because of Schitt's Creek.

[Willie Geist]

But, I mean, you stopped shooting the show, right? It was behind you. And then all of a sudden, it just becomes this phenomenon.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Isn't that freaky? Yeah. We got all these awards when the show was already gone. I mean, we'd done it, right. I guess we'd ended it two years before, right? And then we're getting awards. But again, Covid. So it's like you think things are going well. We'll show you. You'll get awards, but you'll get them from your couch. You're not going to any parties, and you're not going to meet anyone, and no one's going to remember this happened. That's fine.

[Willie Geist]

You won the Emmy, the Globe, the sag. I mean, every award that's available.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Ridiculous.

[Willie Geist]

What was that run like of award season?

[Catherine O'Hara]

It makes me think the most fun. And it didn't go the way I dreamed. I'm always like, you know, Jennifer Coolidge did a great thing with the dancing, getting dancing off instead of getting played. But my idea was to get to sing. I always thought somebody should just start singing along with the music, right? So I did it on my own for a bit for a Canadian award. I just did it online. It was gan Covid. So you present everything online. And then for the Golden Globes, we're on our couches, and I'm wearing this lovely Vera wing in my living room. And Bo, my husband, I got him to work with me on this, and I made it. I found stock music online that sound orchestral, the kind of music that would play you off. I found the. But the whole sound. I didn't work out the sound with it. And the Globe people were just really nervous about, like, how's this gonna work? And I'm going, don't you worry. It's gonna be funny. So the idea was that he would start the music when I started thanking people and the music with my phone. It was set up between us. He's supposed to start the music, but privately. I mean, keep the phone down here. We didn't really rehearse it. Well, I'm sorry. I'm going on too long about this, but no. Okay. So he's supposed to start the music when I'm talking. And then I tried to sing along with it. Right. To get played off. But instead I sort of tap him, like, do it now. He ticks the phone up here and he's just kind of doing this. Okay. The comments afterwards. So we had. We're laughing about it. We think we. We thought it went okay. So then my friend came over with her daughter afterwards, and the daughter said, beau, my husband. Have you been online tonight? You've gone viral. Okay. All these comments about the most selfish, jealous husband who couldn't stand that his wife was winning an award. He got on his phone to talk to friends. I was like, nobody understood what we were doing. Maybe two people.

[Willie Geist]

Meanwhile, it was your bit.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, it was the best. But we didn't even look online when she said that. We went to bed that night, but I'm still up. Like, I'm looking online, you know, what did people say about us? And there was the best, though. I woke up like, bo, you've got to hear what people. People hate you.

[Willie Geist]

He wore it as a badge of honor. It was a good bit. It was a. If the distinction wasn't perfect.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. The sound did not. You could hardly hear the music. All it was was a husband getting on the phone while his wife was accepting him.

[Willie Geist]

Maybe one rehearsal next time. If you ever do that again from home.

[Catherine O'Hara]

It was kind of last minute.

[Willie Geist]

Moira has become sort of an icon in her own right. Going to her outfits and her wigs.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Totally.

[Willie Geist]

That accent, all of it. Can I start with the accent?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Inconsistent.

[Willie Geist]

Where did that go?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Just. Well, Madonna's one who has reinvented herself and good for her a hundred times. And at one point she was very English, you know. And now the way I excuse it is I say, you know, Moira and Johnny, our characters were very wealthy and very well traveled. And because Moira is an artist and observes people and picks up qualities that others have that she could use, that she's taking all this in and. And sharing it with those who are less traveled and less educated. So she's sharing all the accents of her travels with the world. And then she has an amazing vocabulary of arcane words. But also, I thought of Madonna. I have Met other lovely women who have maybe had their own career or still do, but they're kind of living in their husband's shadow. But they want to, you know, at parties or wherever, they want to show that they have their own thing going. It's not about him. So they're. They express themselves very differently than most humans, you know, so it's that just this need to be seen and be heard and be respected and appreciate that I have my art. And, you know, because Moira hasn't worked for a while, but she's still hanging on to the soap opera thing, and Johnny's a successful one, it sounds to.

[Willie Geist]

Me like you brought all of that. So in other words, here's this character, you know, loosely who she is and what's happened to her and the family. But you brought the. With the help of great wiggy masters and all that. But, like, you created this woman, this character.

[Catherine O'Hara]

But it's one thing to say, well, the accent was kind of up to me. Or the. Not the accents, I should say. Because when people try to imitate that character, the mistake most people make is being consistent. It's like, no, don't. Don't try to be one thing. I kept changing. G would have to remind me I would lose it. He'd say, what's your favorite movie? And I go, thank you. Avet. No, shoot. What's the other movie? The Aviator. That would. Thank you, Eugene. That would get me back into Moira's voice. So I would lose it because sometimes it was hard to relate to the other characters if I was thinking too much about that. So anyway, sorry. I was trying to make a point. Oh, it's one thing to say, oh, I'd like to wear a different wig in every scene. It's another for a hairdresser to actually come up with those wigs, you know, and we had one great hairdresser at the beginning, and then Onosaurus that took over after. I think it was the second season. And she would just have boxes of wigs, and we would figure it out on the day. But you also really have to work with someone like Eugene and Daniel, and that's rare with whom you share mutual trust and respect and you can collaborate. You know, Eugene would have to say no to me sometimes, and he was. He's such a gentleman. I don't know, Catherine. Can we just see what that looks like? You know, he was like, Johnny. I was like, Moira. Like Eugene. You have to. Come on, let me try this. All right, I'll talk to Daniel. And we'll you know, but so collaborative and lovely and, you know, in the wardrobe, I. You know, when I. We agreed to, you know, do the show or do the pilot, actually, kind of. No, it was after they'd sold the pilot idea. We agreed to do the show, and they were talking about what I'd look like. So I had lunch with Eugene and Daniel, and I brought all these pictures of Daphne Guinness as kind of inspiration. Mood board thing. IPad mood board. And they just went, yes. But it's one thing to say I want to have this kind of look. It's another to find those clothes and put them together so beautifully. And that was Deborah Hanson, our costumer, and Daniel. The two of them would shop all year online, like RealReal and, oh, shoot, there's so many of them Ukes and all these sites that sell designer clothes at discount prices. Because the reality is we're supposed to have bought these clothes when we had the money. We got to keep them. But they're not this year's clothes, you know, so. But they just. The best wardrobe in the world.

[Willie Geist]

Do you remember the reaction you got the first time you stepped out as Moira onto the set?

[Catherine O'Hara]

LAUGHS yeah. Yeah. Loved it. LAUGHS and oh, my. Or as my stylist Andrew Galwitz would say, I mean. Yeah. Although the best was the po. My wedding officiant look that actually got a hush when it came out. That was great.

[Willie Geist]

I remember that moment. I think we screamed. You either were silent or you screamed when those curtains parted and you stepped out. Insane. That was an unforgettable moment. And what a way to just put the cap on the whole thing.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Forgive the pun, but that relationship that, you know, Daniel and Noah had as David and Patrick was so beautiful. It was so about them that even this that I was wearing didn't distract from that. That's how well designed this show was and how good those characters were. Really. You think that's gonna marry me? That's gonna be standing next to us or between us, but still, like, no distraction, right? It was about them. It was still so touching, wasn't it?

[Willie Geist]

Yeah. Somehow it all made sense by that point in the show. Of course.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Of course.

[Willie Geist]

She came to us that way. Of course. Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Catherine o' Hara right after the break.

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[Willie Geist]

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[Catherine O'Hara]

I've never talked about this. Let's do talk about that.

[Willie Geist]

Let's have a section. No, as the six of seven kids and it seems to me that comedy from a very young age was a part of your life. You're watching, laughing and your siblings were funny and your parents were funny.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah, really funny.

[Willie Geist]

So comedy was there absolutely as early as you can remember.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I think it's a very Irish thing and I'm third generation Irish, but on both sides. But it is an Irish thing to find the humor in the darkest of days, I think. And my mom and dad, you know, right to the end of their lives, God bless them when they went through the indignities of the end of life, just found a way, you know, I talked to them on the phone, see how was the day today and, and where I swear other people would say, well then this happened, then your father, they were just okay and Then your dad, you know, just found a way to laugh at it. You know, it's such a gift to be able to laugh out of sadness or trouble. It really is an amazing gift we all have if it's not beaten out of you by life. And I'm very lucky because in my upbringing, it was encouraged and we were fortunate enough to be able to laugh, you know, sorry, I'm going on too long, but no, not at all. It was demanded more than encouraged in our home. You know, when you have that many people at the table.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

You better have something at least funny to say, if not interesting.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, it's a little competitive.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. No, in a good way. You know, you're just like, it's still that way. We get together in the summers and, you know, live together in the summers at a cottage, and we're still like. I feel like, hey, because I'm second youngest, hey, I got something to say. Try to get a joke in. You're not the funniest. Ok.

[Willie Geist]

It's like, where do I hop in on the double dutch that's going on in front of us? That's so funny.

[Catherine O'Hara]

It is. I try. But, yeah, everyone. My mom would obviously say this, but my mom, it's true. She would impersonate people she met that day, like, after she'd raised us all, God bless her. I can't imagine how she did it with seven kids. But after that, then she went into real estate. She loved getting into people's homes and getting into their stories and helping them. She was very good at it. But she would come home and at the table, impersonate everybody that she worked with that day. And my dad was wanting to set up punchline kind of jokes that he heard at the office. And so, yeah, it was only not funny when my dad's team would lose, which was pretty much every time because my dad only rooted for the underdog. So there was a good chance the team was close and they'd show up. The team and those kind of laughs. I remember when I was, like, 15 saying, Boy, if this is a sitcom, this would be funny. But not right now. But even then, you know, And I have that with my husband. Even if we fight, like, we get each other with, we'll make fun of each other, get each other with a joke which can sometimes hit harder, they get.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

But do it with humor.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, you can go personal, cut right to the core of them. So then, at what point, though, Kathryn, do you decide to pursue comedy not just in the house, but out of the House out in the world.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Theater arts in high school. That's it.

[Willie Geist]

And some sort of a. Not professional pursuit yet, but something that you were interested enough to chase a little bit.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah, I think I wanted to be an actor, but I didn't really have any connection to that world. And then my brother, who spent a lot of time downtown Toronto, we were out in the suburbs, he met a girl named Gilda Radner, God bless her, and they were in this theater together called Global Village. And then he would bring Gilda home. Then Gilda got into Godspell, which also. That cast included Eugene Levy and Dave Thomas, who was in sctv, and Andrea Martin, all these people I ended up working with Marty Short, of course. Yeah. Kissed his picture of the program. Cutest guy. Yeah, sorry. Then he brought her home and then we were. So. We got to know her through her explosion of her career, basically, from Global Village to Godspell to National Lampoon. And when she. Right before she left Second City. Sorry, Second City. Big important. Miss that detail. Before she left for there, I auditioned for Second City. First I got the touring company, which John Candy, God bless him, put together. And then Joe Flaherty made me understudy to Gilda and Rosemary Radcliffe, the other girl in the cast. Then Gilda, a couple of months later, it seems, went to National Lampoon, and I got to attempt to take her place. So. Sorry, my long answer.

[Willie Geist]

No, you're not. This is fascinating, but I think with the underline that.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Good luck editing. Like a bad extra. Stop moving that.

[Willie Geist]

Gilda Radner. Gilda Radner was at your family dinner table.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, yeah.

[Willie Geist]

When you were young.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. She would come on her dark nights, she would come home to our house. She had my parents improvising, doing bits. Jam Fett playing improv games, and there's some home movies of that. Great. But, yeah, she was just. Not only did she let all of us see that. Oh. Like regular people that, you know, could actually be in show business or have a job doing this and get paid for doing this. But she was also such a good example of how to do that. She was so lovely and fun and the way you'd want to think she is from her. You know, from watching her, she was really that. She was just sweet and giving and, you know, just light. God bless her. Yeah. Too early.

[Willie Geist]

And you were young. I mean, when you got into Second City. I mean, are you still teenager?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

Late teens. Right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. I think I was 18 as a waitress, and I think I was 19 when I got in the cast. But that was the good old days where you could basically get in off the street. Now you have to go through years of classes.

[Willie Geist]

Right, right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

They learned that from the Groundlings.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah. So that's. That's good. It's good training, but you do well. And again, you are with, as you say, this ensemble of people who aren't yet who they were going to be. Yes.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Dan Aykroyd, Danny Akroyd, Eugene Levy, Rosemary Gilda.

[Willie Geist]

Was John Candy there?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Was that John Candy? Yeah, of course, Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

I mean, come on. I know hall of famers across the.

[Catherine O'Hara]

World training on the job. That's good. On the job. Training to have people to be with. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

And then a lot of you moved to sctv, which people look back on at the time. They did too. But look back on now, it's this sort of iconic cradle of comedy greatness, you know, so that had to be such a blast to take what you were doing at Second City and put it on the tv.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. And I think we just happened to be the cast at that time. I think they had tried at other times to move into television and it hadn't quite worked. Then they tried it again with Harold Ramis, another, God bless him, as our head writer. And we just happened to be the cast at the theater at that time. So that's okay. Sure, I'll do. Yeah, I'll join you. Thank you. Yeah. And then I love when I talk to people though a certain age who discovered us in high school or in college, and I love that they felt like they were the only ones in the world watching, which is a good chance they were of watching the show.

[Willie Geist]

Because it was all like one or.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Two in the morning. Yeah, but that's the way I felt about Monty Pythons, I think. Okay. If they look at us like I look at a Monty Python. Thank you.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, when you get together, do you look back? Because most of those, you'd say, if one of us got into the movies or had a comedy career, boy, that'd be a great story.

[Catherine O'Hara]

But all of you, it's pretty crazy.

[Willie Geist]

Have had such success.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Second City is really beautiful training, though. You learn to think on your feet to. You wouldn't know it from now, but you learn to listen to others. Sorry.

[Willie Geist]

I'm loving this, by the way. No apologies necessary.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I'm sorry. What you do learn is having something to offer when you're asked a question.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, of course.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And don't just come back with yes. There's all yes. You've heard the yes end.

[Willie Geist]

Sure.

[Catherine O'Hara]

But no, but is just as important, you know.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Are you my ex husband?

[Willie Geist]

No, but I.

[Catherine O'Hara]

No, but I dated your brother.

[Willie Geist]

There you go.

[Catherine O'Hara]

No, nothing.

[Willie Geist]

Sorry.

[Catherine O'Hara]

What were you going to say? I should have let you do it.

[Willie Geist]

No, I don't know. No, you're the professional.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Sorry. No.

[Willie Geist]

Oh.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, no, I won't put you.

[Willie Geist]

Now. There's a story out there. You can tell me, true or false, that for a minute now you were on sctv. A lot of success. You're gonna hop over to snl. But then SCTV happened again. Happened again? Yeah, it was kind of like, thank you for the offer, but I gotta go back to my show.

[Catherine O'Hara]

But it was the same network. It was NBC. That was. So I felt slightly less bad about it, but. And I was never on a show.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I was only there for a couple of weeks, you know, trying to create some material with all the others for that upcoming season. So it was, you know, in the summertime or something. Yeah. And then our producer, SCTV producer Andrew Alexander, who I guess he finished the deal that he'd had before that, so we were all gone. And then NBC offered him another 90 minutes, you know, after Saturday Night Live. So I didn't move that far away.

[Willie Geist]

Right, Right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I had to go back to my family. I know, but I was. It's embarrassing. Yeah. It's not cool to do that. To say, I'll work with you and then I won't.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, sorry.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I got my other friends over here.

[Willie Geist]

Those are your people.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah, my people.

[Willie Geist]

Luckily you've been back a couple times as host.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yes, that was. That's a better way to go.

[Willie Geist]

Right? That's how you want to do it. Come back.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I think I burned that bridge, though. I. I went on Bob Costa's the next day and badmouth the way something was shot because they killed my idea. That was a really bad thing to do.

[Willie Geist]

Is that your last time?

[Catherine O'Hara]

You think that was bad? Yeah, I did that lovely director, Davey. I didn't mean to be. I was just so defensive about the idea not working. Yeah, that's really stupid. Sorry. Live and learn.

[Willie Geist]

I'm sure Lauren's forgotten by now.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I've never been on again, never been asked back. That's. Oh, well, I deserve it. Yeah. Yeah. It's a bad thing to get defensive. You got it. You can't blame others.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, agree. You recovered nicely, though. Stick around for more of my conversation with Catherine o'. Hara. Right, after a quick break, the official.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Game of Thrones podcast is back to break down the brand new HBO original series. A night of the Seven Kingdom. Set one century before the events of Game of Thrones, this series tells the tale of a lowly hedge knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his squire, Egg. I'm Greta Johnson. And I'm Jason Concepcion. Together we are your guides to Westeros, unpacking every episode of this brand new series immediately after it airs on HBO Max. You can watch us on HBO Max or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Willie Geist]

Welcome back. Now to the rest of my conversation with Catherine o'. Hara. Movie wise, is it fair to say that Beetlejuice was a huge breakthrough for you in terms of being on the big screen?

[Catherine O'Hara]

But before that, I got to work with Martin Scorsese in After Hours and then Mike Nichols in Heartburn. So I don't know how that happened. It was because they watched. Well, Mike Nichols is Second City. Second City. He started. It. Started. And Scorsese. Martin Scorsese was a fan of sctv.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, is that how that came out?

[Catherine O'Hara]

That's crazy.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, wow.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Wow.

[Willie Geist]

You never know who's watching, right?

[Catherine O'Hara]

No, you don't. We never thought of who was watching besides each other, trying to make each other laugh. Yeah. So that was nice. Nice little entry into the world of movies and that. No, I did. Didn't I do. Oh, that's right. Yeah. And then Beetlejuice. No, sorry, I'm mixing up.

[Willie Geist]

When I did things brought up Beetlejuice was 88 yeah, but it was such a big movie and great part for you, it feels like.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And I met my husband.

[Willie Geist]

Yes.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Production designer Welch. Yeah, yeah. Oh, it was fun. It was a lovely set. Now I've just done Beetlejuice 2 I.

[Willie Geist]

Was going to ask you about, which.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Had the same kind of vibe on set. Tim was in great spirits. It was really fun and loose. Michael Keaton age, you know, Beetlejuice aged much better than Delia de always looked like. He looked like that. I wish I'd had that makeup originally. I keep asking. Oh, I have only one say. I asked. I asked him in person, but now I've texted him, too. Like, could you please youth at y ou. Could you euthanize Delia, please, a bit digitally? I beg you. They can do that, you know, please, 35 years later, help me out here, man. But it was fun. Yeah. It had the same kind of loose fun.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah. Yeah. People are very excited about that coming back.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. I hope they like it.

[Willie Geist]

I'm sure the one you hear about a lot, if not the most. Well, now that Schitt's Creek is home alone, obviously.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, yeah.

[Willie Geist]

I was just telling you, I was watching you on Johnny Carson in 1990.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And it was just coming out, wasn't it?

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, it was just coming out.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, I didn't. I knew nothing of the phenomenon that would become.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, my gosh. Still, right?

[Catherine O'Hara]

I mean, do you still hear about it Christmas time? Oh, at Christmas time. And I don't know. Macaulay Culkin received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and he asked me to present. I saw it. He also had Natasha, Leon. They worked together and very good friendship. And out of the blue, he asked me, and my first reaction was, aw. I told my husband, aw. It just was the sweetest idea, but I didn't know what it was going to be like. And it was just lovely. And I'm so happy I got to be there and see him receive that. He seems so happy. He's got a lovely fiance, two sweet kids, and it was really what was funny when, you know, after you do the presentation, then they have the honoree come and stand before the, you know, the unveil the star. And then they have you. We all pose. We pose, pose, pose. His mother was not able to make it at that time, but we're all posing, posing, posing. And then now, Natasha, now sounds okay now. Just you and the mother, and I walk away. And he said, just with the mother. Yeah. No, with the mother. Not. You know, I'm not his real mother. No, just you. Okay.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, that's so funny.

[Catherine O'Hara]

He puts it. Everybody goes, oh, no, my mom wasn't.

[Willie Geist]

Able to make it.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Well, then I'm honored to be here.

[Willie Geist]

Thank you. Forever linked. Yeah, yeah, forever linked. But it's gotta be cool to be a part of something with that kind of enduring legacy.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yes. Oh, he is the enduring legacy of that movie. No, no, he really is. That child, that face, that natural acting, just like, what are you all doing in my home? Just. He really deserves that. It was so, yeah, really sweet. But what a great child actor. And now he's like, totally into comedy. He's so funny. You see, he's got a. What is it? Oh, shoot. Rabbit. Oh, God, sorry.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, his. Yeah, yeah, we can plug that in.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. He's got a website and he's just always funny. It's great. He's really embracing everything that. They probably wanted to hold it, but John Hughes recognized it in him.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, clearly. Did you ever think by the second movie, at some point, it's just bad parenting? You keep losing your child and you go, all right, you know what?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Once you know this, don't you? A child came up to me like a little 8 year old said, are you. And that's the way kids would always look at me. Like, not just because of what I did, but like, why are you here now in front of me? You're not sorry. Yeah. He said, this kid came in a mall. Are you Kevin's mom? I said, well, yeah, I played Kevin's mom in a movie. Yes. Why did you leave him? Sorry? It was in the script. So you left him twice. I know, I'm sorry. Yeah. It's called a sequel and it was good. Come on. Isn't that called abandonment? I swear he was 8 or 9 years old at the most. Isn't that called abandonment? Yes, I'm sorry.

[Willie Geist]

Once, maybe twice as unforgivable.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah. Yeah. Do you know how much better the money is on a sequel? No, that's not true. Well, it is true, but no, it was well written. And then they did some more, I thought, actually, during the first and the second. I thought they could do this story forever with different class, different gender, different nationalities, different. It's just such a perfect nightmare. And, well, if written by John Hughes, God bless him, Beautiful idea. It's so. What parent doesn't have that fear?

[Willie Geist]

I know.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Do you have any near misses? Did you.

[Willie Geist]

Not to that extent, certainly. But yeah, I mean, we've had where you turn around, outdoor space or the mall, you know that. And they're usually close by, especially when.

[Catherine O'Hara]

They hide and they think they're funny and hide behind some clothes and a store.

[Willie Geist]

You have that immediate panic, fight or flight thing.

[Catherine O'Hara]

We had it in New York when they were about 9 and 6, I guess. Our sons. And we're all like together, I guess we weren't holding hands at a subway station. New York City and the subway doors open. We get on, I guess we're talking. Yeah. Assuming they're right. Oh, and I turn around, the doors, they're closing and they're outside. They're just looking at each other too, not paying attention.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, no.

[Catherine O'Hara]

And I just went. And then other people screamed too, because they thought they were gonna be hurt. It was like, scream fire. Don't ever scream anything else because it's gotta affect them too. So I screamed, everyone screamed. And I'm going, open the doors. And then other people yelled, joined in. They're all going, open the doors. The doors did open. They get back on. They go, what? Nothing. And then I was just like, wanted to hurl. Just thinking of, go to the next stop.

[Willie Geist]

Oh, what would happen?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Would they stay there? Would someone take them? Would they get on the next bus or subway thinking they're, oh, it's just too sickening.

[Willie Geist]

See, that sounds like Home Alone 3. You've done it again. You've done it again.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Bryce yesterday told a story of her parents. They were on a road trip. They stopped at some place and they drove another four hours. Without their son?

[Willie Geist]

No.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Yeah, without her brother.

[Willie Geist]

And no one noticed?

[Catherine O'Hara]

Not for four hours. That's a quiet child. That's why I say, be loud. Be very loud.

[Willie Geist]

Make yourself known. Okay, last thing. I won't walk you through your entire career, but the Christopher Guest documentaries. Oh my gosh, all of them, from Guffman to Best in show and Mighty Wind. What a fun collaborative experience with your friends that must have been.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, to watch everybody, because all the dialogue is improvised. People always say, was there so some ad libbing all the dialogue? I mean, there's great ideas, beautiful inspiration in the script. You know, stuff like in Best of Joe that I would keep running into men that had the best sex of their lives with me. And then Eugene character would have to put up.

[Willie Geist]

That bit was so good.

[Catherine O'Hara]

But that was in the outline. We call it an outline, but it's, you know, but the outline, the movie, the finished movie was exactly from the outline. Just the dialogue was missing. But to watch all those people like John Michael Higgins, the stuff I would accuse him all the time of writing ahead of time. He goes, how would I write ahead? I don't know what they're gonna say. You know, just. It was beautiful to watch all those people in person. Jennifer Coolidge, of course. We all love her, and I'm so happy for her right now. Yeah. The world is seeing what. She is. So amazing. But she would come up with stuff like, wow, where is your head? Just so great and spacey and funny. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

But not everybody. In fact, I would say most people couldn't pull that off. I mean, you have to have that comedic talent. And maybe a little bit of the Second City came back and all that.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I think they're all writers, too. Most of them. Everybody that's, you know, the Groundlings people. Jennifer and Mike Hitchcock and all those people from Groundlings. They're all. They're also writers. Same with the Second City people. You know, that really helps, because then you're not just, oh, I'll do some bits. You know, I'll just railroad this person. I'll do. I got some bits in mind. You can't. You know, you have to have a sense of the scene.

[Willie Geist]

Right.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Because it was always about serving the beats in the scene, you know? So I think you have to have that sense. Gosh, they're so fun. Everybody was so good.

[Willie Geist]

You know, guy after guy would come up to you.

[Catherine O'Hara]

They were scary.

[Willie Geist]

You're a waitress.

[Catherine O'Hara]

They were improvising, and they would come out with stuff like. That's what you're remembering in your mind about what happened with us. Okay. You have to go along with it. Like, all right. And, you know, because we didn't know what they were gonna say, and they were just working that day. They'd bring in this guy, especially. One guy really scared me. He was talking about my nipples or something. Okay. Thank you too much. Chris. Chris. But they were good.

[Willie Geist]

Okay. I lied last thing, and this time.

[Catherine O'Hara]

I mean, I'm sorry if I didn't give such long answers. We could talk about other things in life.

[Willie Geist]

This has been fabulous. Dan Levy has been whispering, making some noise about a potential movie.

[Catherine O'Hara]

That would be nice.

[Willie Geist]

Have you heard anything about this?

[Catherine O'Hara]

He's awfully busy. He's got his beautiful movie out now. Yes, it's really wonderful. Yeah.

[Willie Geist]

You'd be into it, though.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, yes.

[Willie Geist]

Yeah, yeah.

[Catherine O'Hara]

This movie. Good grief. Go see it or stream it. Yeah, of course I would. Yeah. But he says, and he's right. I agree that, you know, the people who watched our show were so kind and so supportive and so with us, that you want to honor that by doing something good as opposed to just taking advantage of the fact that people are asking us, when's a movie? You know? So I hope, I hope he comes up with a great idea and that we're able to do it. Yeah, I really would. I miss everybody. I really do.

[Willie Geist]

We sure hope so. Thank you for. Like I said, those early days of COVID were spent with you. So.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Willie Geist]

And so many other movies as I think mention every one of them.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Oh, no, I have some more.

[Willie Geist]

Thank you.

[Catherine O'Hara]

Did you not see? Okay, thank you.

[Willie Geist]

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