Catherine O'Hara Says She's Grateful to Represent Women 'of a Certain Age' in Emmys Speech
'Schitt's Creek' Star Catherine O'Hara Reveals How Moira Rose Would Celebrate Her Emmy Win
The actress on her hit character.
And the winner is ... Catherine O'Hara!
The actress, 66, took home the 2020 Emmy Award for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her performance as the beloved Moira Rose in Schitt's Creek during Sunday's virtual ceremony.
O'Hara accepted the award with her costars at a viewing party in Toronto, Canada.
"Thank you members of the Television Academy for nominating me alongside these very cool women," she began. "I will forever be grateful to Eugene and Daniel Levy for the opportunity to play a woman of a certain age, my age, who gets to fully be herself."
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O'Hara also paid homage to the stylist and makeup artists who helped bring the vibrant Moira to life.
"May I please wish you all a sound mind and a sound body, and though these are the strangest of days, may you have as much joy being holed up in a room with your family," she added.
ABC Catherine O'hara
O'Hara bested fellow nominees Christina Applegate (Dead to Me), Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Linda Cardellini (Dead to Me), Issa Rae (Insecure) and Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish).
Schitt's Creek is sweeping the ceremony: Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy and Annie Murphy took home the Emmys for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series, and outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series, respectively. The show also won the coveted award for outstanding comedy series.
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O'Hara's big win comes after she and her TV husband Eugene answered burning questions about her acclaimed character, including how her peculiar way of speaking came about.
“I have the emails, and I’m saying to Eugene, ‘Someone who is learning a different word every day and tries to slip them into conversations as much as possible. Somebody who’s world traveled,'” O’Hara said.
“I now describe it as result of Moria and Johnny’s world travels when they had money. Being the serious artist that she is, who observes people and culture and takes it all in, she then wants to share with the world,” O’Hara, 66, told Variety.
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"It's harder and a completely different ballgame," the host says about hosting the Emmys.
“What you’re getting when you hear her speak are oral mementos of her world travels. I haven’t come up with a better way to describe it,” O’Hara continued.
Of Moira’s accent, Levy, 73, said, “The first time we heard it was knockout — unreal.”
The 72nd Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, are airing live on ABC from 8-11 p.m. ET.
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