Sally Field shouts out Canada at Emmy Awards as Hollywood honours Catherine O’Hara

Canada’s rocky relationship with the United States made its way to Hollywood on Monday night as Sally Field accepted a top prize at the Emmy Awards, while actors also paid tribute to the late Catherine O’Hara.

Field took home the trophy for best actress in a limited or anthology series or TV movie for her role in the Netflix drama “Remarkably Bright Creatures.” At 79, she became the oldest Emmy winner in the category.

The movie, based on Shelby Van Pelt’s 2022 novel by the same name, follows the deep bond formed between a widowed aquarium worker and a young aspiring musician played by Lewis Pullman.

The movie was filmed in Deep Cove, B.C., including some scenes at the Vancouver Aquarium.

Field name-dropped Canada during her acceptance speech.

“Blessed Canada, our neighbours, our friends,” she said, drawing applause and cheers from the audience at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

The awards come amid an ever-evolving trade war between Canada and the U.S., and as President Donald Trump pushes for Hollywood to shoot movies domestically rather than outsource filming to other countries, including Canada.

Also honoured was Edmonton-born actor and director Michael J. Fox, who was introduced as a “proud son of Canada” before accepting the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his advocacy for a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

The actor was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 when he was 29 years old. In 2000, he founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which funds research and spreads awareness.

Monday’s ceremony also saw Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy pay tribute to Canadian actor and comedian Catherine O’Hara, who died Jan. 30 at age 71.

O’Hara died from a pulmonary clot, with rectal cancer listed as the underlying cause. Her career spanned decades, from the sketch series “SCTV” and the “Home Alone” movies to her work as Moira Rose on “Schitt’s Creek.”

Levy, who co-wrote and acted in Canadian TV comedy “Schitt’s Creek,” said O’Hara taught him to never say no — namely, to her creative instincts.

“Say yes to her dinner invites and her stories and her wisdom and her generosity,” he said. “Those are the things you will hold on to the tightest. Always say yes to any opportunity to revel in the presence of greatness.”

Murphy, who played O’Hara’s daughter Alexis Rose on “Schitt’s Creek,” remembered her co-star’s unmistakable laugh and the joy she brought to audiences.

She also talked about the memories people shared with her after O’Hara’s death.

“I was passed a note on an Air Canada flight that said, ‘She was so special. I hope you’re doing OK,'” she said.

“On a drive up north, I was hugged by an extremely gruff gas station attendant … while buying wine at the LCBO, I was treated to a very lively Catherine (impression).”

And Culkin, who played the young son O’Hara left behind in the “Home Alone” movie series, said there were many words he could use to describe his former co-star.

“She was encouraging, she was warm, she was funny. But the word that I think of is mama,” he said. “She always showed up when I asked her to — because that was Catherine. That’s what she did. She showed up.

“And this is the best we can do for her tonight. We’re showing up for her. So she may have forgotten me — twice — but we will always remember her.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2026.

— With files from The Associated Press