Catherine O’Hara Reportedly Dies at 71, Industry Mourns (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Let's bring you more on the breaking news in the past hour because it's been reported the Hollywood actress Catherine O'Hara has died at the age of 71. She was best known for her work in the Home Alone movies starring alongside Macaulay Culkin as his mother famously leaving him behind when they flew across the Atlantic in Home Alone 1 and in recent years the Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek for which she won her first Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series back in 2020. Well let's speak to our reporter Regan Morris who's in Los Angeles. Regan, really sad news.

[00:00:41] Speaker 2: It's really sad news and actually I think quite shocking for people here in Hollywood and around the world. You know she was a beloved actress, Catherine O'Hara beloved in Hollywood and by fans but she also was very much working and healthy and vital. She has been on the latest series of The Studio that Seth Rogen comedy that sort of send up of Hollywood where she played a TV executive and she's nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award which is going to be held in a couple weeks here in Los Angeles. So it's a real shock and she was at sort of you know the prime. She was 71 years old but she was working and appeared vital and healthy and is such a beloved character here in Hollywood in Los Angeles and also in Canada, her native Canada. On my way into the office as we were trying to confirm news of this and I had some friends in Canada call me and asking you know is it true? I was asking them is it true? One of them has a friend who works on Schitt's Creek and they have all met Catherine O'Hara and she's just a beloved figure in that country but sadly the news is true. We have had confirmation from her manager and agency here in Los Angeles but we just do not know a cause of death so it's a real shock.

[00:02:02] Speaker 1: As you say Regan only 71 in her absolute prime still having so much success and a success that has held steady since those days of the 90s when we remember that famous scene as as Macaulay Culkin's mother in Home Alone. Such a massive film many of us will have watched it at Christmas just you know a few weeks ago. That scene where she realizes she's left her son at home while she's flying to France with the rest of the family. I'm afraid we've lost Regan.

[00:02:36] Speaker 2: Oh you've lost? Hello.

[00:02:37] Speaker 1: Hello Regan now we can hear you again. Do carry on.

[00:02:40] Speaker 2: Oh hi yeah I was looking at social media on the way here this morning you know thinking about Catherine O'Hara and that's the one thing that Kevin her when she realizes she's lost she's forgotten her son and they're they're heading away on vacation without young Kevin. That is still an iconic something she was doing on Instagram just a few weeks ago you know mimicking that for fans and people around the world so that is what she is definitely known for but she you know also the best in show all those hilarious mockumentaries about the dog show world she's in the Christopher Guest movies that she's a part of as I said most recently the studio and she's a beloved treasure and a character and I think people are very very shocked.

[00:03:27] Speaker 1: And and the character of Moira in in Schitt's Creek another character that she was she got so much praise for just so funny and and so loved.

[00:03:39] Speaker 2: Yes Moira Rose a beloved character Schitt's Creek she is even if you didn't watch the show you've seen the memes that character is everywhere kind of the the the Rose family lost it all it says she plays opposite Eugene Levy who plays her husband and Dan Levy it plays her their children their son and daughter the family is kind of down on their luck living in a motel and Moira is still every bit the diva socialite the best dressed woman in that town so living in a hotel she's not going to let their financial situation ruin her fashion sense and Moira was just such a character and beloved one of she will she will be fondly remembered and that is the one she won an Emmy for as well.

[00:04:24] Speaker 1: Regan thank you very much Regan Morris there in Los Angeles apologies also for the the flash photography there in in some of the pictures of Catherine O'Hara we've been playing but Regan reporting there on that very sad news that we've learned in the last hour that Catherine O'Hara the actress has died at the age of just 71.