Few friendships in Hollywood run as deep as the one between Catherine O’Hara and the star of “Schitt’s Creek.” Emily Hampshire. Their connection goes beyond the fictional town of ‘Schitt’s Creek’ to the 1999 Canadian crime drama ‘The Life Before This’, where the two actors worked together for the first time. Over the next few years, O’Hara not only became a respected peer but also a quiet pillar of support in Hampshire’s life, including a moment that helped reshape his career in the United States.Hampshire has often spoken of how significant O’Hara was on ‘Schitt’s Creek’, this time opposite Stevie Budd’s Moira Rose. Their paths crossed a few years earlier, but the gaps between Canadian independent projects and a major international hit like ‘Schitt’s Creek’ meant O’Hara’s rise and career were in different orbits, he said. When the show took off, the shared experience of navigating a wave of sudden global attention only deepened their mutual respect and love.
Emily Hampshire recalls how Catherine O’Hara helped her
When Hampshire decided she wanted to move from Canada to the US, she faced the usual mess of immigration paperwork and the need for letters of support from well-known figures. He reached out to O’Hara with a simple request for confirmation in the green card process, and the response was immediate and generous. “I emailed him to ask him to help me get mine green card“, the 44-year-old actor told E! News, explaining that he needed prominent people to validate his talent. “He immediately replied, ‘Sure, anything.’ He was so wonderful,” Hampshire recalled. “That’s the essence of his character. He was really kind to everyone.”
Friendship between Catherine O’Hara and Emily Hampshire
Their working relationship deepened during the seven seasons of ‘Schitt’s Creek’, where O’Hara’s Moira Rose and Hampshire’s Stevie Budd became part of the same unique and misfit family. Even after the cameras stopped rolling, Hampshire has spoken openly about O’Hara’s warmth and how that kindness came through time and time again, both on and off set. In interviews, he’s described their connection as something that started in the early days of his career and never fades away, which makes the green card story feel less one-sided and more like a natural extension of who O’Hara was.For fans of “Schitt’s Creek,” the story also adds a soft layer to their viewing of O’Hara, someone already admired for her sharp comedic timing and all-female vulnerability. Knowing that he quietly helped a younger colleague with a practical and transformative step, using his name and influence without fanfare, reinforces the sense that his generosity is genuine and consistent. For Hampshire, this support was more than a bureaucratic red tape; reminded the industry that courtesy, an email, and “of course” could be accommodated at the same time.
