Catherine Ohara Wins Posthumous Actor Award; Seth Rogen Accepts in Tribute

catherine ohara was posthumously honored at the Actor Awards on Sunday, taking the prize for best female actor in a comedy series for her turn as Patty Leigh on Apple TV’s The Studio, and her late co-star Seth Rogen accepted the award in an emotional speech.

Seth Rogen accepted the award on O’Hara’s behalf

Seth Rogen took the stage after O’Hara’s name was announced and told the assembled cast and crew, "I know she would have been honored to receive the award from fellow performers. " Rogen said he had been "reflecting on the time I was fortunate enough to spend with her" and praised her "ability to be generous and kind and gracious while never, ever minimizing her own talents. " He added, "She knew she could destroy, and she wanted to destroy every day on set. "

Catherine Ohara’s final role as Patty Leigh

On The Studio, co-created by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, O’Hara played Patty Leigh, a former Hollywood studio chief, opposite Rogen’s character Matt Remnick, an aspiring mogul. The Apple TV series is described in the coverage as a madcap satire of modern Hollywood.

Stories from the set and a specific rehearsal habit

Rogen shared a set anecdote about O’Hara’s preparation: she would often email him and Goldberg the night before shooting with the line, "Hello, I hope you’ll consider the following, " and that message was frequently followed by a completely rewritten version of the scene she was in. Rogen said those rewrites "literally 100% of the time" improved the character and the entire scene.

Reaction in the room and additional awards for The Studio

While Rogen spoke, several attendees grew visibly emotional. Actress Jenna Ortega, who starred alongside O’Hara in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, was shown wiping a tear. Kathryn Hahn, who plays studio PR maven Maya Mason on The Studio and was also nominated in the female actor in a comedy series category, appeared to tear up as Rogen spoke. Moments later, The Studio won the Actor Award for best ensemble in a comedy series.

Details on O’Hara’s death and legacy

The record shows O’Hara died at the age of 71 on Jan. 30. On Feb. 9, a news outlet confirmed that she died of a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the lungs, with rectal cancer listed as the sequential cause of death. O’Hara was long known for roles in Home Alone, Best in Show and the sitcom Schitt’s Creek, and Rogen urged the audience to keep sharing her work — pointing to moments like O’Hara dancing to Harry Belafonte in Beetlejuice and her physical comedy in Best in Show.