Parker Posey got choked up remembering working with Catherine O’Hara in “Best in Show” and “A Mighty Wind.”
While appearing on Friday’s “The Kyle Buchanan Show,” Posey was asked about working with O’Hara and Eugene Levy on Christopher Guest films like “A Mighty Wind.” It didn’t take long for the actress to get teary-eyed as she recalled watching the two of them — particularly O’Hara — work.
“They made me sob,” Posey said. “The love between them .. .as performers was so beautiful. I mean they worked together for like 30 years. It was so beautiful. Yeah, I loved it. Yeah, sorry.”
She continued about O’Hara, wiping a tear from her eye: “This completely generous place that she worked from. There was this, you know, how she limps in ‘Best in Show,’ she was like … god I’m sorry. The creativity that came out of her was like ‘Oh Chris, I have this idea, can I do this? Should I do this walk when I come into the arena in ‘Best in Show?’ She did the funniest walk where she can make her kneecap go out. It was just the funniest thing. It was just so bubbled up for her. It was just so easy and there was just so much love there.”
O’Hara died back in January at the age of 71 in her home following a brief illness.
The actress was celebrated across the industry when she died at the beginning of the year. Everyone from former co-stars to acclaimed directors were quick to sing O’Hara’s praises and mourn the loss.
“What a gift to have gotten to dance in the warm glow of Catherine O’Hara’s brilliance for all those years,” Dan Levy, who played her son in “Schitt’s Creek, wrote. “Having spent over 50 years collaborating with my dad, Catherine was extended family before she ever played my family. It’s hard to imagine a world without her in it. I will cherish every funny memory I was fortunate enough to make with her.”
Director Martin Scorsese said that losing O’Hara felt “impossible” while emphasizing her “comic genius” and ability to create unforgettable characters.
“To lose Catherine O’Hara… it feels impossible to me, and to millions of others as well, I’m sure,” Scorsese said. “Many people know her from SCHITT’S CREEK. For many others, it’s the HOME ALONE pictures or BEETLEJUICE or the Christopher Guest comedies. For me, and for most of my friends, it’s SCTV: all I have to do is think about one of the characters she created, like Lola Heatherton or Dusty Towne, and I’m laughing. Catherine was a true comic genius, a true artist, and a wonderful human being. I was blessed to be able to work with her on AFTER HOURS, and I’m going to miss her presence and her artistry. We all are.”
