It’s been several days since the passing of Catherine O’Hara, and yet I still cannot comprehend it. A little less than two years ago, she starred in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.” Her face was on Fanta cans. Last year, she appeared in the streaming series “The Studio.” This year, she received a SAG Award for her work in said series. O’Hara clearly made the most of her 71 years, but it felt like she still had so much to offer the world. If things played out the way they should have, Catherine O’Hara would have made it to 100 and added just as many memorable performances to her resume. Though O’Hara’s death still hurts, we can take solace in the fact that she was loved by so many. When she passed, the whole world mourned her. Nobody said an ill word against her. Nobody made a snarky remark. We were all deeply affected by the loss of someone who brought us joy for over four decades. Catherine O’Hara was truly a remarkable woman.
What can you possibly say about Catherine O’Hara that hasn’t been said a million times? She was a brilliant comedian, phenomenal actress, and just an all-around legend. Her work on SC-TV and the Christopher Guest movies still gets the big laughs. In the “Beetlejuice” movies, she nearly steals the show from the titular “Ghost with the Most.” Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without O’Hara’s classic delivery of “KEVIN!” in “Home Alone.” Though I myself have never watched “Schitt’s Creek” (a mistake I plan to rectify), folks rank her role in that show among her best. O’Hara always played eccentrics, but she gave each one of them their own flavor of eccentricity. Her versatility and gift for physical comedy made her a favorite for… well, just about everyone. I can think of few performers as universally beloved as O’Hara.
To be quite honest, this piece was extremely difficult for me to write. Catherine O’Hara was such an icon that I felt like I had nothing worthy to say about her. People far more eloquent than I have already eulogized her. I did not know her personally. I am just one of a billion folks who grew up watching her on television. Unfortunately, I cannot offer the profundity I feel she deserves. And yet, she meant so much to me as a performer that I feel I must pay my respects to her. With that in mind, I am going to say a few words about the movie that introduced me to the work of Catherine O’Hara: “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
I was something of an odd child. At least, that was how I perceived myself, and those around me seem to confirm that perception. I was diagnosed with high-functioning autism fairly early on, so I felt like an outsider. And for that reason, I always gravitated towards the strange and unusual. Films like “The Nightmare Before Christmas” really spoke to me. In its cast of monsters and misfits, I found my peers. Oogie Boogie, the swingin’ Boogeyman, was my favorite as a child simply because he was the most entertaining. But the one who moved me the most was Sally, the living ragdoll. Sally was awkwardly stitched together and moved stiffly. Even among weirdos, she was seen as a freak.
Locked away in a tower by her mad scientist creator, Sally longs to see the world outside.. She’s curious and clever but often overlooked. Like the Frankenstein Monster in pop culture, she literally falls apart at the seams. There was a frailty and melancholy to Sally that was matched by strength and bravery. I had never seen a character quite like her. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” was a musical, but Sally received only one song: the aptly-named “Sally’s Song.” In this number, Sally conveys her loneliness in a way that feels real and human, which is impressive for a puppet. As a child, I was blown away by its earnestness and haunting beauty. Even today, I am in awe of it. Of course, composer Danny Elfman deserves much of the credit. But the song has been covered many times (Billie Eilish, Amy Lee, and Fiona Apple are among those who have tried), and no version feels as emotionally honest to me as the original. The way Sally sings it just captures the feeling of being an outsider.
Sally was voiced by Catherine O’Hara, an unusually somber role for the actress. I was stunned when I discovered that the mom from “Home Alone” and Sally were one and the same. All those feelings I had were largely due to O’Hara’s vocal performance. (She also voiced the devious little trick-or-treater Shock in the same film, which was another mind-blower.) Characters like Sally made me accept and even love my status as an oddball. She helped me understand that being an outsider was not such a bad thing. By the end of the film, she finds a person who understands her. Someone who knows what it’s like to be weird. As a kid, it was an important lesson for me. No matter how bizarre you may feel, there are folks out there who get you.
I am grateful to Catherine O’Hara for many things, but I am especially grateful for her portrayal of Sally. Every year at the Hollywood Bowl, Danny Elfman and his orchestra perform the score from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” live. Catherine O’Hara would often join him on stage to perform her parts. I am lucky to have seen her sing “Sally’s Song” on stage a few times. It moved me then, as it did when I was a kid. We’ll always miss Catherine O’Hara, but the world is ancient. The fact that we were able to share the planet with her for a while is truly wonderful.
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