Santiago Felipe/WireImage
NEED TO KNOW
Michael Keaton reflected on his longtime friendship with Catherine O'Hara, who died on Jan. 30, during a Feb. 6 event
The actor and O'Hara starred together in 1988's Beetlejuice
He revealed that the pair bonded over both having six siblings
Catherine O'Haraleft a lasting impact onMichael Keaton.
TheBatmanstar, 74, reflected on his longtime friendship with hisBeetlejuicecostar O'Hara — whodied at the age of 71on Jan. 30 — at Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2026 Man of the Year event in Cambridge, Mass., on Friday, Feb. 6.
"I was a bigSCTVfan. I am the biggestSCTVfan," Keaton shared when asked about how he first met her. "And I'm trying to think, when was it? I think I was doing a movie in Toronto. ... I remember we must have met or known each other a little bit, because, like myself, she has a big family. She's one of seven, and I'm one of seven. And so somehow we got to be friends."
Warner Br/Everett/Shutterstock
"I remember a night in Toronto where she had a summer [with her] brothers and sisters, and we were all shooting pool in some bar somewhere," he continued. "But I think I had known her before, kind of having a hard time remembering it."
The actor went on to say that he was a "giant fan, like everyone else" and knew her as "kind of a goddess" inside the comedy world — and he wasn't the only one. He said many people in the industry "knew how brilliant she was and how great she was" so it was no surprise when her star began to rise.
"And I was doing this tiny little movie calledGame 6, which is actually a really good little movie. It takes place in Boston, and Griffin [Dunne] and I were talking, and they hadn't cast it [yet]. I said, 'Hey, how [about] Catherine O'Hara as my ex-wife? Yeah, you think she'd do it?' So I called her, and she came down,"Keaton recalled of the 2005 film, in which O'Hara played Lillian Rogan.
"I guess that was after the firstBeetlejuice.But I knew her before that. And to answer your question, I don't remember what the first time was when I met her, but we got to be friends in addition to just working together as well," he added.
Warner Brothers / Courtesy Everett Collection
TheSpider-Man: Homecomingactor was one of the first to share a tribute online to O'Hara after her manager confirmed her death on Jan. 30. In anInstagram postshared the same day, he posted a recent photo of the pair smiling together for a camera.
"We go back before the firstBeetlejuice,"he captioned the photo. "She's been my pretend wife, my pretend nemesis and my real life, true friend. This one hurts. Man am I gonna miss her. Thinking about Beau as well."
Advertisement
He also penned a tribute to her inTime, in which he described getting to know her as "breathing rarefied air." He noted that she had a "twinkle, a light, a glow" whenever she talked with someone and listened to their stories.
"To have a woman as your friend is a great thing. To have a brilliantly funny woman as your friend is special. To have Catherine O'Hara as your friend is a blessing," he wrote.
O'Hara was born in Toronto in 1954. After graduating from high school, she got a job as a waitress at theSCTVin Toronto before joining the company in 1974. She made her film debut was 1980'sDouble Negative, which also featured Eugene Levy and otherSCTVcostars like Flaherty andJohn Candy.
Kate Green/Getty
In 1990, she was cast inHome Aloneas the harried mom of Macaulay Culkin's Kevin. She reprised her role for 1992'sHome Alone 2: Lost in New York. She also starred in 1993'sThe Nightmare Before Christmas, in which she voiced Sally, and 1994'sWyatt Earp.
In 2015, she teamed up with Levy once again forSchitt's Creek, created by his son,Dan Levy. In 2020,she won the Emmyfor Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Moira Rose.
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.
O'Hara's final series role came in Apple TV's Hollywood satireThe Studio, playing deposed studio head Patty Leigh. The show earned her a nomination at the 2025 Emmys, as did herguest appearance onThe Last of Us.
O'Hara is survived by her husbandBo Welch, whom she met when he worked as a production designer onBeetlejuiceand married in 1992,and theirsons, Matthew and Luke.
Read the original article onPeople
