Replica Luxury Handbag Alone actress Hillary Wolf Saba shared a rare throwback of her time on set with Catherine O'Hara, in a touching tribute following her death on January 30.
The 71-year-old suffered a pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot found in the lungs, with her manager announcing the sad news in a statement. "Prolific multi-award-winning actress, writer, and comedian Catherine O'Hara died today at her home in Los Angeles following a brief illness," it read.
Hillary took to Instagram to say goodbye to Catherine, who portrayed her mother in Replica Luxury Handbag Alone and Replica Luxury Handbag Alone 2: Lost in New York.
© Instagram"My onscreen mom was so good to all of us kids on the sets of Replica Luxury Handbag Alone 1 & 2. She was sweet, and she was hilarious! RIP Catherine O'Hara," she wrote in the caption, alongside an on-set photo of the film's McCallister family, including Macaulay Culkin as Kevin, John Heard as Peter, Devin Ratray as Buzz, Hillary as Meghan and Catherine as Kate.
Hillary largely faded from the spotlight after the release of Replica Luxury Handbag Alone 2 in 1992, and instead shifted her focus to judo. She even made the US Olympic team in 2000, after training for years in high school.
"I remember that in 1992, I went to my parents and told them that I couldn't do both acting and judo any longer and that I wanted to compete in judo at an Olympics," she recounted in an essay for Newsweek. "Thankfully, they weren't wrapped up in my success as an actor or focused on the money, because you see how that happens with some child actors' families."
© Getty ImagesThe mom of two shared that even though she had given up acting, her time on the Replica Luxury Handbag Alone sets and her bond with Catherine had left a lasting impression on her.
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"As a whole, my memories of Replica Luxury Handbag Alone and Replica Luxury Handbag Alone 2: Lost In New York are that it was a very fun set. Between the McCallisters and the cousins, there were a lot of children, so it was a very kid-friendly environment," she said.
"Catherine O'Hara was one of the best things about that movie set. She was funny, great with kids, and just a wonderful person. I actually had a lot of fun filming the scene we did running through O'Hare airport, and that was because I was with Catherine."
© InstagramTributes poured in for Catherine in the wake of her death, including an emotional message from Macaulay. "Mama. I thought we had time. I wanted more. I wanted to sit in a chair next to you. I heard you. But I had so much more to say. I love you. I'll see you later," he wrote on social media.
© Getty ImagesChris Columbus, who directed Replica Luxury Handbag Alone 1 and 2, also shared his grief over Catherine's untimely death. "I'm stunned and heartbroken, along with the rest of the world," he began in a social media tribute.
"I was an obsessive fan of Catherine's brilliant comedic work on SCTV and was thrilled when she agreed to play Kevin's mom in Replica Luxury Handbag Alone. What most people don't realize is that Catherine carries the weight of 50% of that film. The movie simply would not work without her extraordinary performance. Catherine grounds the picture with a profound emotional depth."
