Catherine O'Hara Reveals the 'Amazing' Wedding Gift She Received from Tim Burton

Mar. 15, 2025

Tim Burton and Catherine O’Hara in April 2024.Photo:David Becker/Getty

David Becker/Getty

Catherine O’Harais reminiscing about the unforgettable wedding gift she received from directorTim Burton.During an appearance on the Oct. 30 episode ofJulia Louis-Dreyfus' podcastWiser Than Me, a production of Lemonade Media, theHome Alonestar, 70, revealed that Burton, 66, treated her and her husbandBo Welchto a rare experience in Italy after they married in 1992.“Tim gave us an amazing wedding gift, which was a private tour at the Vatican,” O’Hara said, prompting Louis-Dreyfus, 63, to reply, “Yeah, only Tim Burton would give a present likethat.““Somebody had given [Burton] the gift, and he’d been blown away, so he passed it on, which is really wonderful and generous,” O’Hara continued. “So this lovely priest or cardinal took us all around the Vatican, and he was wild.“Catherine O’Hara and Bo Welch attend the U.K. premiere of ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ on Aug. 29, 2024.Karwai Tang/WireImageShe recalled how their tour guide took them “everywhere” — “including, I swear, the Pope’s closet.““He took us on the elevator that the Pope takes down to the St. Peter’s Basilica to his dead mass. He took us in this beautiful, little private museum full of, in glass cases, all the gifts given to the Vatican from all over the world,” O’Hara said. “And he let us open the case and take out crowns and pretend to be putting them in my husband’s backpack.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The actress also told Louis-Dreyfus that she has Burton to thank for pushing her husband to finally ask her out when the three were on the set of 1988’sBeetlejuice. Burton directed the film, and O’Hara starred as Delia Deetz. Welch, 72, worked behind the scenes as a production designer.Catherine O’Hara and Bo Welch in 1991.Ron Galella Collection/Getty"Tim Burton basically made him ask me out. Because I was grousing to Tim that this guy was talking to me every day, and never asking me out,” O’Hara told Louis-Dreyfus. “So Tim said, ‘Let me see what I can do.’ He did talk to him, and Bo begrudgingly asked me out. And now we’re still married, thank goodness.“Back in August, theSchitt’s Creekstar told PEOPLE that the day Welch invited her on a date was her favorite part of filmingBeetlejuice. She recalled that he finally made the move when they were out shooting the exteriors of the iconicBeetlejuicehouse in Vermont.“Bo came up to me that day and said, ‘Our department’s going to a swap meet. You want to come?’ " she said.O’Hara and Welch tied the knot on April 25, 1992, and went on to welcome two children together,Matthew and Luke. The pair recently had a full-circle moment — for both their relationship and career — when they walked the red carpet together at the premiere of the long-awaited sequelBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceat the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 28.Bo Welch and Catherine O’Hara.Erin Combs/Toronto Star/GettyEarlier this year, O’Hara shared how she and Welch have managed to find their way through some particularly “rough times” together in their marriage.“We both just really wanted to work on it and stay married,” she told PEOPLE, adding that laughter also has helped keep their bond strong. “And laughing. Respecting each other and talking, but laughing comes from that too.““People always say communicate, right?” she added. “Tell them how you’re feeling.”

Catherine O’Harais reminiscing about the unforgettable wedding gift she received from directorTim Burton.

During an appearance on the Oct. 30 episode ofJulia Louis-Dreyfus' podcastWiser Than Me, a production of Lemonade Media, theHome Alonestar, 70, revealed that Burton, 66, treated her and her husbandBo Welchto a rare experience in Italy after they married in 1992.

“Tim gave us an amazing wedding gift, which was a private tour at the Vatican,” O’Hara said, prompting Louis-Dreyfus, 63, to reply, “Yeah, only Tim Burton would give a present likethat.”

“Somebody had given [Burton] the gift, and he’d been blown away, so he passed it on, which is really wonderful and generous,” O’Hara continued. “So this lovely priest or cardinal took us all around the Vatican, and he was wild.”

Catherine O’Hara and Bo Welch attend the U.K. premiere of ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ on Aug. 29, 2024.Karwai Tang/WireImage

Karwai Tang/WireImage

She recalled how their tour guide took them “everywhere” — “including, I swear, the Pope’s closet.”

“He took us on the elevator that the Pope takes down to the St. Peter’s Basilica to his dead mass. He took us in this beautiful, little private museum full of, in glass cases, all the gifts given to the Vatican from all over the world,” O’Hara said. “And he let us open the case and take out crowns and pretend to be putting them in my husband’s backpack.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The actress also told Louis-Dreyfus that she has Burton to thank for pushing her husband to finally ask her out when the three were on the set of 1988’sBeetlejuice. Burton directed the film, and O’Hara starred as Delia Deetz. Welch, 72, worked behind the scenes as a production designer.

Catherine O’Hara and Bo Welch in 1991.Ron Galella Collection/Getty

Ron Galella Collection/Getty

“Tim Burton basically made him ask me out. Because I was grousing to Tim that this guy was talking to me every day, and never asking me out,” O’Hara told Louis-Dreyfus. “So Tim said, ‘Let me see what I can do.’ He did talk to him, and Bo begrudgingly asked me out. And now we’re still married, thank goodness.”

Back in August, theSchitt’s Creekstar told PEOPLE that the day Welch invited her on a date was her favorite part of filmingBeetlejuice. She recalled that he finally made the move when they were out shooting the exteriors of the iconicBeetlejuicehouse in Vermont.

“Bo came up to me that day and said, ‘Our department’s going to a swap meet. You want to come?’ " she said.

O’Hara and Welch tied the knot on April 25, 1992, and went on to welcome two children together,Matthew and Luke. The pair recently had a full-circle moment — for both their relationship and career — when they walked the red carpet together at the premiere of the long-awaited sequelBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceat the Venice Film Festival on Aug. 28.

Bo Welch and Catherine O’Hara.Erin Combs/Toronto Star/Getty

Erin Combs/Toronto Star/Getty

Earlier this year, O’Hara shared how she and Welch have managed to find their way through some particularly “rough times” together in their marriage.

“We both just really wanted to work on it and stay married,” she told PEOPLE, adding that laughter also has helped keep their bond strong. “And laughing. Respecting each other and talking, but laughing comes from that too.”

“People always say communicate, right?” she added. “Tell them how you’re feeling.”

source: people.com