Jenna Ortega breaks silence after Catherine O’Hara’s death

Jenna Ortega is the latest star to be honored Catherine O’Hara after the legendary actress’ death at age 71. Ortega, who starred alongside O’Hara in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” shared a two-photo tribute on Instagram remembering their time working together. The post included a close-up photo of O’Hara, as well as a black and white image showing Ortega with O’Hara and other cast members on set. Alongside the photos, Jenna Ortega shared a heartfelt message about the impact Catherine O’Hara had on her.

“Catherine is one of the most beautiful people I have had the honor of working and knowing,” Ortega wrote. “I will forever cherish the time we shared together and everything she taught me.”

She went on to call O’Hara “a giant and an inspiration in so many ways,” adding, “One of the greatest. Thank you so much for everything.”

Fans quickly flooded the comments with condolences. “We will miss her, may she rest in peace,” one user wrote while another said: “Rest in peace to an absolute legend.” A third replied: “I’m sure she learned a lot from you too. You’re strong, Jenna.”

Ortega and O’Hara worked together on the long-awaited sequel to Tim Burton’s 1988 classic, in which O’Hara reprized her iconic role as Delia Deetz. The project brought together a new generation of stars with one of the most influential figures in comedy.

Last year, O’Hara and Ortega reflected on their collaboration while promoting “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” giving fans a glimpse into how their on-screen moment unfolded.

Talk to NMEO’Hara revealed that the movements in the scene were largely developed by the two actresses themselves, with the help of a choreographer. Ortega credited his co-star with shaping the creative direction, telling O’Hara: “You were the inspiration behind the performance art aspect. I think it reads on the page like a real dance, and you sparked an idea.”

O’Hara expanded on this approach, explaining that she wanted the movements to seem unexpected rather than traditional. “I wanted the most… illogical in my opinion… dance moves that don’t mean anything,” she said, clarifying that her goal was to go for something eccentric rather than structured.

Ortega recalled that the two men experimented together outside of the game, saying they were in a nearby tent when the ideas began to flow. “We were like, ‘Oh, it’s funny when you do that,'” she said. O’Hara added that Ortega suddenly “lay down on the floor and struck” a dramatic pose, and from there they just engaged in it.

In another interview that fans are now revisiting, O’Hara spoke candidly about the role humor has played in her life and work. Open up to Fashion magazinethe actress shared a perspective that many now see as deeply reflective of her heritage.

“Life is dark,” O’Hara said at the time. “It’s hard growing up, and it’s hard being an adult. It’s hard dealing with life. But finding a way to laugh at the darkness is the greatest gift anyone can give us.”

Ortega then added: “Weird, it’s original. Especially in a time like this, where everyone is starting to look and sound the same, [when] you’re only allowed to say or do certain things, it’s okay not to conform. To which O’Hara added, “God forbid you have an original thought,” letting out a theatrical sigh before smiling.

During the final moments of Saturday night’s episode, the long-running NBC sketch series briefly displayed a tribute card on screen, with a throwback photo of O’Hara next to her name.

The show then shared the tribute on Xposting an image of the card followed by a heart emoji, sparking a wave of reactions from fans who applauded the gesture and shared their own memories of the comedy icon.