Catherine O’Hara produced ‘unbelievable’ scene rewrites for Schitt’s Creek
According to the show’s co-creator, actress Catherine O’Hara produced “unbelievable” scene rewrites for Schitt’s Creek.
Catherine O’Hara produced “unbelievable” scene rewrites for Schitt’s Creek.
Her co-star on the series – and its co-creator Dan Levy made the admission as he reflected on the late actress’ work and legacy following her death at the age of 71.
Best known for her role as Moira Rose in the award-winning sitcom Schitt’s Creek, Catherine died on 30 January at her home after a brief illness.
Dan has now spoken about her creative influence during an appearance on the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, hosted by Conan O’Brien.
Conan said on the show: “I remembered thinking it was such a nice thing for Catherine to have that role during that last decade of her life, where she was playing someone who was beloved, because people love the character and they’re really getting to see yet another way that she’s really funny.”
He added: “It was such a nice thing for her that you made happen.”
Dan replied: “She made it happen. I just made sure that I was prepared. That’s really what it came down to. Like so much of Moira Rose was Catherine.”
He also recalled Seth Rogen once telling him Catherine would send emails the night before a shoot saying: “Gentlemen, some thoughts about the scenes we’re shooting tomorrow” – adding it would turn out to be a “full top-to-tail rewrite”.
Dan added: “And as soon as (Seth) said it, it was like: ‘I got those emails’.
“The ‘gentleman’ – it always started with ‘gentlemen, some thoughts’ – and then it was an unbelievable rewrite of the scene.”
He added: “You know, because she had so much to offer, and she was so, the way that she thinks is so on another level that as a writer, you can’t get into her head.
“So all you can really do is set the table, wait for the email, ‘Gentlemen, some thoughts,’ read the scene and say, ‘F*** yeah’.”
Schitt’s Creek, which also starred Eugene Levy and Annie Murphy, ran for six seasons between 2015 and 2020 after premiering on CBC.
Dan also spoke about continuing to watch clips of Catherine’s performances in the wake of her death.
He said: “The crazy thing about it is that I’m still like, you know, I go on Instagram and her face is there and Moira’s clips from the show are all over the place.”
Dan added: “I stop and I watch, and I’m watching not for anything that I did, but I’m watching because she is impossible not to watch.”
