Helen O'Hara (journalist)
{{Short description|Northern Irish film critic and journalist}}
{{for|the musician|Helen O'Hara}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Helen O'Hara
| image =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Portstewart, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
| education = University of Oxford
| occupation = {{hlist|Writer|film critic}}
| employer = Empire
| years_active =
| website = {{URL|https://www.helenohara.com/}}
}}
Helen O'Hara is a Northern Irish film critic and journalist, primarily known for working for Empire magazine, for which she is editor-at-large.{{cite web|title='˜Films are a really important part of education and life'- former lawyer|url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/whats-on/films-are-really-important-part-education-and-life-former-lawyer-557011|access-date=2020-06-26|website=News Letter}} She has also written for Time Out,{{Cite web |title=Helen O’Hara Time Out Profile |url=https://www.timeout.com/profile/helen-ohara |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Time Out Worldwide |language=en-GB}} The Guardian, The Telegraph,{{Cite web |date=2023-07-24 |title=Helen O'Hara |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/h/ha-he/helen-o-hara/ |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}} GQ, Digital Spy.{{Cite web |date=2021-09-07 |title=Film journalist Helen O'Hara launches podcast to accompany critically-acclaimed book |url=https://podnews.net/press-release/women-vs-hollywood |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=podnews.net |language=en}}
Early life
O'Hara was born in Portstewart, County Londonderry, in Northern Ireland.{{cite web|last=Roy|first=David|date=2019-10-16|title=Empire Podcast host Helen O'Hara on bringing the show 'home' to Belfast for Cinemagic|url=http://www.irishnews.com/arts/2019/10/16/news/empire-podcast-host-helen-o-hara-on-bringing-the-show-home-to-belfast-for-cinemagic-1739472/|access-date=2020-06-26|website=The Irish News}} She has said that she has always been a fan of film, with one of her earliest memories being to see Return of the Jedi in the cinema, but thought she had to choose a "sensible" career and so studied law.{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_mU-W7qsOM|title=Helen O'Hara Interview|publisher=BanterFlix|via=YouTube|date=17 June 2017|accessdate=26 June 2020}}
Career
{{quote box|I thought I might be able to make a move sideways into legal reporting, and gradually, somehow, work my way over to film writing, but that wouldn't have worked, I think. Changing careers takes skill, planning and a lot of luck. I got lucky then as a job came up for an internship at exactly the right time with Empire.|source=Helen O'Hara, 2018|align=right|width=300px}}
O'Hara studied law at Oxford University and began a career in it, but was unhappy with it and "bored out of [her] tiny mind".{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-01-03 |title=Career Girls with Helen O'Hara |url=https://sentimentalgarbage.substack.com/p/career-girls-with-helen-ohara-ed3 |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Sentimental Garbage}} She quit her job as a barrister and, a few months later, got an intern interview for Empire. Though she had no journalistic experience, she says that the magazine had misplaced her CV, so her deep knowledge of the magazine got her the job. She became an intern and then staff writer at Empire, a role she held for eleven years before going freelance and contributing to other publications. She has said that during her early years at Empire, she was the only full-time female writer, and feels that some of the continued lack of female critics is a consequence of society discouraging women from having strong opinions in general and because women "get more flak" for holding opinions than men: "Empire had three staffers called Ian and about the same number of women".{{cite web|title=Interview with Helen O'Hara: Empire Critic|url=https://y3837752reviewculture.blogspot.com/2018/01/interview-with-helen-ohara-empire-critic.html|access-date=2020-06-26|website=Review Culture}} O'Hara's first review was of The Triplets of Belleville, which she wrote before she joined Empire and was unpaid.{{Citation |title=Women Vs Hollywood: an Interview with Helen O'Hara |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJFRcY0tAr8 |access-date=2023-10-05 |language=en}}
She co-hosts the Empire podcast for Empire. Starting in 2012 during awards season, with David Roy of The Irish Times noting this was "long before everyone and their silver surfing granny had their own podcast", it is seen as one of the forces maintaining the success of Empire. The podcast went on a live UK tour in 2019, with filmmakers coming on as guests during the live recordings in front of crowds. O'Hara felt that the tour was risky, as they did not know if it would work, but that it was successful. As of 2019, O'Hara is a freelance film writer and the editor-at-large of Empire.
In addition to her work with Empire, O'Hara contributes to the BBC as a film journalist, including hosting Friday Film Club on the Lauren Laverne podcast.{{cite web|title=BBC - Helen O'Hara film|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=helen+o%2527hara+film|access-date=2020-06-26|website=www.bbc.co.uk|archive-date=2020-07-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704014110/https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?q=helen%20o%27hara%20film|url-status=dead}} She also contributes to The Independent{{cite web|date=2020-06-05|title=The 35 best films to watch while you're self-isolating|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/films-best-watch-coronavirus-isolation-quarantine-movies-classic-greatest-essential-list-a9394006.html|access-date=2020-06-26|website=The Independent}} and The Guardian
Bibliography
- {{cite book|last=O'Hara|first=Helen|title=The Ultimate Superhero Movie Guide: The definitive handbook for comic book film fans|isbn=978-1-78739-260-1|publisher=Carlton Books|location=London|oclc=1145068903|year=2020}}
- {{cite book|last=O'Hara|first=Helen|title=Women Vs Hollywood: The Fall And Rise Of Women In Film|isbn=9781472144423|publisher=Robinson|year=2021}}
- {{cite book|last=O'Hara|first=Helen|title=A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary: An A–Z of the iconic director and his work, from AK-47 to Zed|isbn=978-1035417575|publisher=Welbeck|year=2026}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/critic/helen-ohara-12122 Helen O'Hara] at Rotten Tomatoes
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Category:British women film critics
Category:Film critics from Northern Ireland
Category:21st-century journalists from Northern Ireland
Category:21st-century women journalists from Northern Ireland