Reese Witherspoon recalls Catherine O’Hara’s ‚boundless creativity‘ on the set of 2006’s ‚Penelope‘ and mourns the actress in a heartfelt tribute<\/b>
\nReese Witherspoon is mourning the death of her Penelope costar Catherine O\u2019Hara.
\u201cFeeling so sad about the passing of Catherine O\u2019Hara,\u201d Witherspoon, 49, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Saturday, January 31. \u201cCatherine was such an inspiration to me. I worked with her on a movie called Penelope back in 2006, and her creativity was boundless.\u201d
Witherspoon continued, \u201cShe never ceased to amaze me with her generosity toward her fellow actors and filmmakers. In real life, she was just as warm and delightful as she seems on film \u2014 a pure delight.\u201d
Witherspoon further stated that O\u2019Hara\u2019s \u201clegacy will live on\u201d through her expansive and beloved onscreen roles, as well as her family.
\u201cI know she\u2019s making all the angels laugh ????,\u201d Witherspoon concluded.
Us Weekly confirmed on Friday, January 30, that O\u2019Hara died at the age of 71.
\u201cProlific multi-award-winning actress, writer and comedian Catherine O\u2019Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness,\u201d O\u2019Hara\u2019s agency, Creative Artists Agency, said in a statement. \u201cA private celebration of life will be held by the family.\u201d
O\u2019Hara was renowned for her roles in some of Hollywood\u2019s most iconic films and television shows, including Home Alone, Beetlejuice, Schitt\u2019s Creek, The Studio and Penelope. The 2006 comedy introduces Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) as a young socialite born with a pig\u2019s snout as a nose after a family curse. The only way to break the curse is by loving someone of \u201cher own kind,\u201d which her family interprets as marrying another socialite.
O\u2019Hara portrayed Penelope\u2019s mother alongside fellow cast members James McAvoy, Peter Dinklage, Simon Woods and Richard E. Grant. Witherspoon, for her part, played Annie, a new friend of Penelope\u2019s.
\u201cIt was great. I really love her. I\u2019ve always been a huge fan of hers and she was always everybody\u2019s first choice in this movie,\u201d Ricci, now 45, told Collider in 2008 of acting alongside O\u2019Hara. \u201cShe\u2019s hysterical, and finally one day, Simon [Woods] and I got up the courage to gush and tell her everything we loved about her. She is such a lovely person, so she was just very gracious about it.\u201d
According to Ricci, she picked up many acting tips from her onscreen mother.
\u201cShe just encouraged us to be more spontaneous and not worry about getting yelled at if we ad-lib or make something up,\u201d Ricci added to the outlet.
Ricci also offered an emotional social media tribute following O\u2019Hara\u2019s death.
\u201c[I] was so lucky to work with this icon, one of my hero\u2019s, the great Catherine O\u2019Hara,\u201d Ricci wrote via Instagram on Friday. \u201cSo sad she\u2019s gone. She was the most wonderful, warmest, kind, hilarious human being and the most talented and brilliant actress. What a loss. Rest in peace, Catherine.\u201d
O\u2019Hara is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and the couple\u2019s two sons.
\u201cThey\u2019re very funny, and we encourage it,\u201d O\u2019Hara previously told the Toronto Star in 2007 of her children. \u201cI\u2019m proud to say, we all make each other laugh. In my home, growing up. I learned that from my parents. They made each other laugh to the end, God bless \u2018em. How great is that?\u201d<\/p>\n