Written by John Poveromo
I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Catherine O’Hara three times in my life.
The first time was before I was even a comedian. I was seated behind her at the opening weekend of Spamalot in New York. I didn’t have the courage to say much. I just clocked it. Filed it away as a unique expwrience.
The second time was at a premiere. Same deal. Just quiet admiration. No real words.
The third time was about a year and a half into my comedy career, and it’s the one I’ve never forgotten.
I had just walked out of Joe Franklin’s Comedy Club (humble brag, i know) when a limo pulled up. Catherine and her friend stepped out and started walking toward me. Third time’s the charm, right?
I stopped her. Told her how much her work meant to me. Told her I was a new standup comic at 20 and her eyes lit up. She grabbed my arm in a way that was both like, “dear god, you’re in it huh?” While also very being very welcoming. She immediately asked if I’d already gone on. I said yes. She asked how I did, how long I’d been doing it, and she could not have been nicer or funnier if she’d tried.
When I told her it was the third time I’d seen her, she cracked a joke about how flattering it was to have a young male stalker.
Then, as I started really singing her praises, she turned to her friend and said, “Well what about her?”
That’s when I realized I had just fully ignored Andrea Martin.
I immediately panicked. Apologized. Rambled, and attempted to course correct it mid-sentence.
Andrea stopped me before I could finish and went,
“Nope. Noooo. No, it’s fine. It’s fine. Too late! You’re here for Catherine!”
We all laughed. We talked for a bit longer. Catherine wished me luck. They walked into an apartment building down the block with Andrea.
I never saw her again.
But I’ve never forgotten that interaction. Not because she was famous. Because she was generous. Curious. Present. The kind of person who didn’t have to ask a young comic anything, but did anyway.
Some people are legends because of their work. Others are legends because of how they treat you when they don’t need to.
Catherine O’Hara was both.
RIP Catherine. Thank you for the laughs and the kindness.
Editorial contributed to The Pop Break by John Poveromo, a nationally touring comedian, cartoonist, writer, actor, and the host of Dystopia Tonight with John Poveromo on, ApplePodcasts, Spotify and YouTube. John’s been seen on Gotham Live, written for Newsweek, and has a short film on Amazon Prime titled, “Duppet.” Subscribe on www.dystopiatonight.com
