4. And the decision to approach Catherine O’Hara, Eugene’s dear friend and SCTV colleague, for the part of Moira was the patriarch’s idea, though she was hesitant to say yes, initially only agreeing to do the pilot presentation as a favor for her longtime collaborator.
“When the show got picked up, we had to go back to her and ask,” Dan explained to Variety. “She was really reluctant—justifiably so. It was a big unknown, and television is a commitment. He ended up asking Eugene to give her one last call and tell her to just give it one season. Clearly it worked. Canadian actress Annie Murphy rounded out the Rose crew as David’s sister Alexis.
5. Catherine came up with Moira’s signature accent, which she attempted to describe via e-mail. “I was saying, ‘Eugene, I don’t want to sound like a human,’ basically,” she told Variety. During the show’s run, she would often flower Moira’s dialogue with the help of Foyle’s Philavery: A Treasury of Unusual Words.
