Catherine O’Hara starred alongside Seth Rogen in ‚The Studio,‘ one of the actress‘ final roles before her death at age 71<\/b>
\nSeth Rogen is the first cast member from The Studio to speak out following Catherine O\u2019Hara\u2019s death.
\u201cReally don\u2019t know what to say,\u201d Rogen, 43, captioned an Instagram photo of him and O\u2019Hara, who died at age 71 on Friday, January 30. \u201cI told O\u2019Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I\u2019d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen. Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies.\u201d
Rogen continued, \u201cGetting to work with her was a true honour. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive, generous\u2026 she made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We\u2019re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it.\u201d
Ike Barinholtz, who plays Sal Saperstein on the show, also remembered O\u2019Hara with an Instagram statement.
\u201cI never in a million years thought I would get to work with Catherine O\u2019Hara let alone become friends with her,\u201d he captioned a photo of them together. \u201cSo profoundly sad she\u2019s somewhere else now. So incredibly grateful I got to spend the time I did with her. Thank you Catherine I love you.\u201d
The producers and cast of The Studio also shared a statement with Us Weekly on Friday. \u201cWe are at a loss for words at the passing of our friend Catherine O\u2019Hara,\u201d the message read. \u201cShe was a hero to all of us, and we pinched ourselves every day that we got to work with her on The Studio. She was somehow classy, warm, and hilarious all at the same time. We\u2019re unbelievably saddened she is gone and send our deepest sympathy to Bo and all her family.\u201d
Us Weekly confirmed on Friday, January 30, that O\u2019Hara died at age 71 following \u201ca brief illness.\u201d The Los Angeles Fire Department told Us that paramedics were dispatched to O\u2019Hara\u2019s house early Friday morning and she was subsequently transported to the hospital in \u201cserious condition.\u201d
O\u2019Hara\u2019s role as Patty Leigh on The Studio, which premiered via Apple TV in March 2025, was one of the actress\u2019 final projects prior to her death. O\u2019Hara brought her comedic timing on several occasions throughout the season \u2014 especially in the finale.
O\u2019Hara\u2019s Patty, a high-powered Hollywood executive on the show, acted as a mentor to Seth Rogen\u2019s character, Matt Remick. The two forged a similar relationship off screen.
\u201cWe actually do get along, but chemistry can be faked. I think you never know. Just because you like someone in real life, it doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll have good chemistry with them,\u201d Rogen said of O\u2019Hara during a March 2025 interview. Thank God it worked out that way. We were shooting the first scene together, and it seemed to be going well.\u201d
O\u2019Hara chimed in, noting that it was both \u201cscary and fun.\u201d She added, \u201cI like Seth. I really like Seth, so that helps.\u201d
She told Forbes that same month that Rogen and his creative partner, Evan Goldberg, actually talked her into the role.
\u201cThey were] very, very persuasive. They made it sound like it was going to be so good and so fun and so informative. They describe great characters,\u201d O\u2019Hararecalled. \u201cThen, the scripts came in and they were great \u2014 really funny. I\u2019ve never played, I don\u2019t think, someone like this in this kind of power position, who loses it right away.\u201d
O\u2019Hara\u2019s character Patty is the fictional Continental Studios head in the show. During the first episode, she loses the job to Rogen\u2019s Matt, who ends up promising her a producer role and first-look deal in exchange for her help. (Rogen has spoken openly about how O\u2019Hara\u2019s character was based on former Sony Pictures Entertainment head Amy Pascal.)
\u201cIt was the first scene we shot together in the show, so we were also feeling out the dynamics of the characters,\u201d Rogen told The Wrap in March 2025 of their character dynamics. \u201cBut we always liked this idea of I f***ed her over, and I also need something from her. She\u2019s really mad that I f***ed her over, but she also needs something for me.\u201d
O\u2019Hara makes her first appearance onscreen as a blubbering mess, yelling at Rogan and barely letting him into her house.
\u201cAs emotional and sad a moment as it is, we see it as an opportunity that could be mutually beneficial, which I think really gets to the heart of Hollywood in many ways. People just want to survive,\u201d Rogen explained. \u201cThey just want to live to fight another day. That\u2019s a big theme in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n