Reese Witherspoon is mourning the death of her Penelope costar Catherine O’Hara.
“Feeling so sad about the passing of Catherine O’Hara,” Witherspoon, 49, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Saturday, January 31. “Catherine was such an inspiration to me. I worked with her on a movie called Penelope back in 2006, and her creativity was boundless.”
Witherspoon continued, “She 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 — a pure delight.”
Witherspoon further stated that O’Hara’s “legacy will live on” through her expansive and beloved onscreen roles, as well as her family.
“I know she’s making all the angels laugh 🕊,” Witherspoon concluded.
Us Weekly confirmed on Friday, January 30, that O’Hara died at the age of 71.
“Prolific multi-award-winning actress, writer and comedian Catherine O’Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness,” O’Hara’s agency, Creative Artists Agency, said in a statement. “A private celebration of life will be held by the family.”
O’Hara was renowned for her roles in some of Hollywood’s most iconic films and television shows, including Home Alone, Beetlejuice, Schitt’s Creek, The Studio and Penelope. The 2006 comedy introduces Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) as a young socialite born with a pig’s snout as a nose after a family curse. The only way to break the curse is by loving someone of “her own kind,” which her family interprets as marrying another socialite.
Reese Witherspoon and Christina Ricci in ‘Penelope.’ IFC Films/courtesy Everett Collection
O’Hara portrayed Penelope’s 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’s.
“It was great. I really love her. I’ve always been a huge fan of hers and she was always everybody’s first choice in this movie,” Ricci, now 45, told Collider in 2008 of acting alongside O’Hara. “She’s 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.”
According to Ricci, she picked up many acting tips from her onscreen mother.
“She just encouraged us to be more spontaneous and not worry about getting yelled at if we ad-lib or make something up,” Ricci added to the outlet.
Ricci also offered an emotional social media tribute following O’Hara’s death.
“[I] was so lucky to work with this icon, one of my hero’s, the great Catherine O’Hara,” Ricci wrote via Instagram on Friday. “So sad she’s 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.”
Catherine O’Hara and Richard E. Grant in ‘Penelope.’ IFC Films/courtesy Everett Collection
O’Hara is survived by her husband, Bo Welch, and the couple’s two sons.
“They’re very funny, and we encourage it,” O’Hara previously told the Toronto Star in 2007 of her children. “I’m 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 ‘em. How great is that?”
