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• For Your Consideration
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Catherine O'Hara talks about For Your Consideration.
 

Tavis: Catherine O'Hara is an award-winning actress whose terrific career in film and television dates back to the classic late-night series, "SCTV." She's also starred in notable films like "Beetlejuice," "Home Alone" and "Waiting for Guffman." She's once again teamed up with director, Christopher Guest, in her latest project, "For Your Consideration." Here now a scene from "For Your Consideration."

[A film clip is shown]

Tavis: Catherine O'Hara, so over the top.

Catherine O'Hara: No.

Tavis: (Laughter) So over the top.

O'Hara: I was trying to act well. That's the pathetic thing. I was really trying to do a good service.

Tavis: Yeah, yeah. It's nice to have you on.

O'Hara: Thank you. Nice to be here.

Tavis: It occurs to me that we should start - I think sometimes as I travel around the country, every now and then people tell me that in Hollywood too often we make assumptions about what other people know and I try not to do that. So I could jump right into this conversation, as I just did.

But we should probably back up and explain what these three words mean inside of Hollywood. For those who have not seen the film, "for your consideration" is a phrase of us in Hollywood know and we should explain why that's such an important phrase around here at a certain time of the year.

O'Hara: I don't know where it started. It doesn't make sense, does it? I mean, everybody who makes films wants the Academy members to consider them for awards. There's a lot of different categories, right? There's a lot of different groups giving awards now.

After people do a movie, they want everyone who's giving out awards to consider them for an award. That's basically the idea. I think it was genius of Chris or whoever to come up with the idea of using this as a title because we get free advertising. It's everywhere for your consideration.

Tavis: That is the story. I don't know who came up with it. So you don't know either.

O'Hara: Yeah, I like that phrase. I was afraid they were going to change it this year. They knew we were going to try to sneak in with it. They were going to suddenly say, "So?" Or "What do you think?" Or "Well?" (Laughter).

Tavis: (Laughter) So around Oscar time, for those watching across the country, around Oscar time, every member of the Academy who votes on these winners you see on the big night in March receives copies of all of these films and every one of them is labeled "for your consideration." So this movie called "For Your Consideration" really kind of spoofs - well, you explain it. You can do it better than I can.

O'Hara: No, you explain it. I bet you can do it.

Tavis: No, you first.

O'Hara: The movie? Well, this is a movie about people making a movie and the movie within this movie is called "Home for Purim." It's a period piece during World War II. It's Georgian Jews living in Georgia, I guess (laughter). The mother is dying. I play an actress, Marilyn Hack, the dying mother. Harry Shearer plays an actor, Victor Allan Miller, who plays the father. Parker Posey plays an actress, Callie Webb, who plays the daughter. Oh, it's crazy. Then Chris Moynihan is the son. Then we have Chris Guest playing the director in the movie. I'm sorry. See, you would have done this better.

Tavis: You're doing fine.

O'Hara: And we're making this movie. We're not even finished shooting the movie, "Home for Purim," and one day on the set, the DP played by Jim Piddock, comes up to my character and tells me that his wife was on the internet and that there was some movie site that said that Marilyn was giving an Oscar-winning performance on "Home for Purim." I thought, "Really? Oh, wow." It opened the door of desire that had never been opened.

Tavis: So this buzz is out there and you just take it and run with it.

O'Hara: Yeah. Chris Guest says that he was on a movie set and somebody went up to the DP and they were like two weeks into the shooting. Somebody went up to the DP and said, "Better get your tux ready."

Tavis: (Laughter) Two weeks into the shooting.

O'Hara: Two weeks into the shooting, okay? And he said the attitude of the guy actually changed.

Tavis: Yeah.

O'Hara: You know, "Oh, yeah." And that's what happens. People are talking to you about your work that way. You know, when you do the job, you're into the job. You're just having a conversation and people pass by and whisper, "It's good to talk to her. You're asking the right questions." But it's like suddenly you're outside of it and you're thinking of yourself doing this rather than just doing it.

Tavis: I could see it cutting both ways, though. I could see that it's a spoof in "For Your Consideration" as the point you're making now. I can see it going to somebody's head and then they start really acting over the top because, to your point, they're not in that space and time. I could also see, though, since we're talking real live here, I could also see the exact opposite of that. Somebody being inspired by what people are saying and perhaps elevating their game.

O'Hara: Yeah, that would be a nice way to go, yeah. Maybe it kind of wakes them up. Maybe people kind of go along day to day doing their job and thinking, oh, it's nice to be working. But then something wakes them up and, like, wait a minute. You should be grateful to have this job, so do your best.

Tavis: Which attitude would be closest to Catherine O'Hara?

O'Hara: Oh, I don't know. I would hope the second. Doesn't that sound healthier?

Tavis: (Laughter) Yeah, it does. But you could be honest.

O'Hara: More mentally healthy than the other one, the first one. Better than going nuts? I'd rather not take it seriously. You know, if you listen to the good things that people say about you, you have to listen to the bad too because they're equally valid and they're equally bull.

Tavis: Because you -

O'Hara: - the menopause sets in.

Tavis: (Laughter) Okay.

O'Hara: Don't make me self-conscious. I thought we were talking about someone else here.

Tavis: You've done so much funny stuff in your career. Do you take any of this stuff seriously because you do so many comedies?

O'Hara: I do. I take the work very seriously. Yeah, sometimes I - no, I shouldn't. It's a lovely job to have doing comedy and, when people approach you on the street with a smile on their face, it's a really lovely gift to have. It's sad. I mean, that relationship with people you don't know. Well. That's another part of menopause. What was I saying? What were we talking about? It's a lonely thing to have one camera (laughter). That's so sad. What was the question? Help my brain and tell me.

Tavis: (Laughter) We'll move on.

O'Hara: Well, I had a really interesting point. That's the sad part.

Tavis: Well, if it comes back to you, just jump in and tell me while we advance here for the moment.

O'Hara: Tavis, I have an idea. Wait, I thought of something (laughter). Oh, I know. My hard work.

Tavis: (Laughter) Yes, your hard work.

O'Hara: No, no. I did - I have a thought in my head. I swear I do.

Tavis: Please share, please share.

O'Hara: No, I do. Okay, it's gone again. Never mind. No, but comedy is supposed to look really easy. You're not supposed to see the effort.

Tavis: Effortless, yeah.

O'Hara: So on the one hand, I want people to know how hard I work. But if I did show that, I wouldn't be doing my job. You know, we all do it okay if people don't see the effort.

Tavis: You know what? I just want to tell you that that point was worth waiting for.

O'Hara: Oh, now you're embarrassing me.

Tavis: No, I'm not. I'm being serious. That was a very important philosophical distinction and I like that. Now the question I was about to ask. Let's see if I can remember. Is it just me? Are you like the queen of Christmas time movies? Every time I look up at Christmas, there's a movie either out or being replayed that stars Catherine O'Hara.

O'Hara: "Home Alone."

Tavis: How big was that?

O'Hara: Maureen O'Hara is the queen, or Donna Reed, or the cheesy woman in "Holiday Inn." Do you watch "Holiday Inn?" Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire?

Tavis: I watched it the other night, yeah.

O'Hara: The woman singing? I stole her acting.

Tavis: "Home Alone" was huge.

O'Hara: "Home Alone," yeah, and "Home Alone 2." And they do play it this time of year, which is really nice.

Tavis: Every year.

O'Hara: Really nice, yeah. It's lovely to be part of a - because I'm a Christmas freak and I watch certain movies every year like "Holiday Inn." So if I'm in one of those movies as someone else, that's great.

Tavis: Does anybody ever walk up to you and cuss you on the street, cuss you for being a bad mom, because they couldn't separate you from the character?

O'Hara: Oh, children, yeah. Children usually - especially at the time when it first came out. If I saw kids on the street, they'd look at me like "What are you doing here? Why are you here now in front of me?"

[A film clip is shown]

Tavis: (Laughter) That was funny.

O'Hara: One little boy like nine years old said, "You lost your son twice." I said, "Yeah, that was called a sequel." (Laughter) I was going to have to explain to him that, when there's a sequel, they offer you a lot more money. You know, I thought we could do a third. It is a great idea to get another family every time. You could just keep going forever, but we were pushing it by doing it twice. You know, jail would be involved in the third with that family (laughter).

But the little boy, I'm telling you, nine years old. I don't where his parents were, by the way. He was in a mall and he was by himself talking to me about this movie. He said, "How could you do that twice to your son?" I said, "I was playing a mother who did that and, of course, it's not real." He said, "Isn't that called abandonment?"

Tavis: A nine year old.

O'Hara: Yeah, honestly. I went, "Fine, okay, sorry."

Tavis: You have a nine year old?

O'Hara: I have a nine year old, yes. A nine and a twelve year old.

Tavis: Are they kind of like that?

O'Hara: They blame me. No, they're very funny. They're very funny. I included my youngest son, my nine year old. I was doing an article with the Los Angeles Times and they asked me if my kids were funny. My son had just done this the day before. We were having a fight over homework, a terrible thing to fight over homework.

Tavis: You and your nine year old?

O'Hara: Yeah. Isn't that nice? Nice mothering. In the middle of this, he goes from this to, "Oh, good. I guess you'll be taking care of yourself when you get old." I don't even know where he got the concept that he might have to take care of me. But right there, he's like "Nope, you'll be taking care of yourself." I stopped him and really laughed. I told him that he was in the paper.

I said, "You know, I told them about you and I having that fight" and he went, "You told them I fought with you?" "No, no, it was me fighting with you that was bad. That's okay on your part." I was trying to explain to him that it takes intelligence to come out with that kind of emotion and make a joke. That's really smart. "Okay, I made the papers!"

Tavis: (Laughter) I think it runs in the family. Catherine O'Hara, nice to have you on the program.

O'Hara: Is that it?

Tavis: That's it.

O'Hara: All right! I mean, for you (laughter).

Tavis: We offer this to our viewers for their consideration. Anyway, that's our show for tonight. You can catch me on the weekends on PRI, Public Radio International. Check your local listings. I'll see you back here next time, though, on PBS. Until then, good night from Los Angeles. Thanks for watching and, as always, keep the faith.