Seth Rogen pays tribute to Catherine O'Hara, calls her "an utter genius" at DGA Awards

Los Angeles [US], February 8 (ANI): Directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg paid a heartfelt tribute to actor Catherine O'Hara at the 2026 Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards, where they won the award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Comedy Series for 'The Studio.'
During their speech, Rogen, according to The Hollywood Reporter, told the crowd that there was no one they wished to thank more in person than Catherine O'Hara. Goldberg then said that he and Rogen grew up in Canada and that O'Hara had been their idol since they were children.
"Honestly, there's no one we wish we could thank in person at this moment more than we would love to thank Catherine O'Hara," Rogen said, leading the audience to erupt in applause. Goldberg added, "We grew up in Canada, and she is and was quite literally our idol since we were kids," as per The Hollywood Reporter.
O'Hara played movie executive Patty Leigh in the Apple TV comedy The Studio, appearing in all 10 episodes of its first season. She earned a 2025 Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance.
Catherine O'Hara passed away on January 30 at her home in Los Angeles after a brief illness. She was 71.
Rogen also spoke about how O'Hara's work in Home Alone inspired him to become a filmmaker. He said that the film made him want to make movies. He shared a memory from the set, saying, "Home Alone honestly is the movie that made me want to make movies in a lot of ways."
"And I mean, in that movie, she's always yelling, 'Kevin, Kevin,' and on set, she would always be yelling, 'Evan, Evan!' And every time she did it, we were like, 'It's like Home Alone.'"
"The best part of her is that she showed you can be an utter genius and also the nicest person in the entire world," Goldberg continued.
"Every day, we worked very hard to make the show good enough to warrant her time and her presence. So, ultimately, we would like to thank the DGA for this, but we would mostly like to thank Catherine O'Hara for being such a wonderful person," Rogen concluded their acceptance speech.
Soon after O'Hara's death, the cast, crew, and producers of The Studio also paid tribute. Apple TV and Lionsgate Television shared a joint message saying they were heartbroken by the loss of Catherine O'Hara. (ANI)