If she hasn’t done so already, Catherine O’Hara has ensured her place among comedy royalty thanks to her stellar performance in Schitt’s Creek, the recently ended comedy series that was picked up by Netflix in 2017. But O’Hara’s storied career in comedy may have never come were it not thanks to a special relationship with another member of comedy royalty: SNL alum Gilda Radner.
O’Hara’s brother, you see, was dating Radner, and would occasionally bring her over to O’Hara’s home for family dinner.The family loved her, and when Radner came over, said O’Hara in an interview with Vanity Fair, “my mom would definitely break out the good plates.”
Radner had recently been accepted into the original Toronto cast of the musical Godspell, and feeling inspired, O’Hara auditioned as well. While O’Hara didn’t land a role (“That’s okay, it’s fine, still bitter!” she joked.) it didn’t stop her from pursuing more roles, ultimately embarking on a career that’s seemingly at its height right now.
But O’Hara’s relationship with Radner went beyond influencing her career, Radner became like a sister to young O’Hara. “She had me sleep over one night and then in the morning, we sat there at her little kitchen table with a pretty cloth,” says O’Hara. “We had tea and pumpernickel bread with cream cheese and cucumbers. You come from the suburbs—something like that is so cool and chic and exotic.” The story is one of many O’Hara fondly shared throughout the interview, a heartwarming tale of friendship and inspiration among comedy legends.
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