Fans Would Walk Up To John Candy In Public And Do A Comedy Bit With Him

John Candy had such a hearty demeanor that fans would see him in public and do comedy sketches with him. His Home Alone co-star Catherine O’Hara, testified that Candy “would always pick up on it right away and give something back” when fans would “want to do a comedy bit with him.”

Candy was one of the biggest comedy stars of his time, with his movies being some of the best comedy films of all time. He won several awards, including two Primetime Emmys and a Saturn Award. However, his stardom never impeded his down-to-earth nature.

John Candy would do comedy bits with fans in public if they approached him

Candy engaged fans using the two rules of improvisational comedy—“yes, and” and “no, but,” when performing. “People always say ‘yes, and…’ but ‘no, but…’ is just as important. ‘Are you the doctor?’ ‘No, but I played one in commercials.’ He was the king of that,” Catherine recalled.

Catherine added, “You’d be on the street with him, in a mall, and somebody would come up and just want to do a comedy bit with him…and see their eyes light up, like, ‘Oh, I’m doing a bit with John Candy.’” He was also down to earth with colleagues, including Catherine, who credits him for developing her skills. “He would always be willing to do an improv with me after the show,” she gushed. “You do a show, and then you do improvs after the show he was always willing to try any idea.”

Catherine O’Hara had a crush on John Candy

Catherine had many nice things to say about Candy, including that most people’s expectations of him were true. “When people ask, ‘What was he like?’ they want to hear what they think he’d be like,” she said. “And it’s so lovely to be able to validate their guesses about what he would be like in person.”

The Beetlejuice actress had a crush on Candy, who was in a relationship with his wife, Rosemary, at the time. “He was just as lovely as you want him to be. I wouldn’t claim he was interested in me that way,” she added. “But he was always really lovely to me in the Second City Theater.”