Tim Burton and Monica Bellucci were the subject of dating rumors long before their relationship was confirmed – now the director and actress have made a film together. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which was released in the US on September 6th.

“What I can say … first of all, I am glad that I met the man,” said Bellucci Elle France in June 2023, shortly after it was announced that Burton had cast her in the highly anticipated sequel to the 1988 cult film Beetlejuice“It’s one of those encounters that rarely happen in life… I know the man, I love him and now I’m going to meet the director – a new adventure begins.”

Burton became famous as a director of films, including 1985 Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, 1989s Batman and 1990s Edward Scissorhands. Beetlejuice was only his second feature film. The Italian star Bellucci had a career as a model before appearing in films such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) and the matrix Sequels (2003 and 2021).

Although Burton and Bellucci had met many years earlier, they did not officially become a couple until 2023, when they made their first public appearance on the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival. Until they began working together on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The couple kept their work completely separate from their relationship. “I’m with Tim. Not with Tim Burton,” Bellucci said Paris-Match in June 2024.

Read on to learn all about Burton and Bellucci’s relationship.

They met for the first time in 2006

Burton and Bellucci met for the first time in 2006 on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in France – but it was only a brief encounter, as both were already in long-term relationships with other people.

The two met again in October 2022 at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, France, where Bellucci presented Burton with the festival’s Lumière Award for lifetime achievement. “In my entire life together, I have never felt as much love as I did tonight,” Burton said at the event. The times“Welcome to the best funeral I’ve ever had.”

Not long after, the two sparked dating rumors when they were spotted arm-in-arm in Madrid. It wasn’t until October 2023 that they appeared together on a red carpet at the Rome Film Festival in Italy. Burton was there to support Bellucci at the premiere of her film. Maria Callas: Letters and Memoirs. In the reporting of the event in Rome, Burton was described as “so in love and happy” that The Independent.

They both have famous ex-partners

Burton had a long-term relationship with Harry Potter Star Helena Bonham Carter from 2000 to 2014. The former couple had son Billy in 2003 and daughter Nell in 2007. The two made headlines with their unusual living situation: They lived in separate houses next to each other, which were connected by a hallway.

“We simply built two houses together because mine was too small,” said Bonham Carter The Telegraph in 2010. “We see each other as often as any other couple, but our relationship is strengthened by knowing we have our own personal space.” Although they were never married, Bonham Carter described the end of their relationship as “a divorce.”

“I went through a very painful divorce,” she said in the podcast in 2022 Therapy works. “It’s been a long-term thing. That’s the other thing, it’s not so final. It never ends. Even if you divorce someone, if you have children with them, it’s a kind of marriage. The relationship has to change. It’s a very complicated thing to divide up the children.”

Bellucci married the French actor Vincent Cassel (from Oceans 12 And Oceans 13) in 1999. The couple welcomed daughter Deva Cassel in 2004 and daughter Léonie Cassel in 2010. Deva told Generation V in 2023 that her parents taught me to “always look forward, always protect myself, always be kind and always keep an eye on the wonderful… There is a lot more, but the point is that they taught me how to deal with unexpected situations and live by my own rules, while always respecting the people and the environment I am in.”

Bellucci and Vincent separated in 2013.

Bellucci identifies with the themes in Burton’s films

Speaking publicly about their relationship for the first time Elle France, Bellucci revealed that she feels connected to the themes in Burton’s works. “I love this dream world where the monsters are friendly, like we can turn our darker sides into something bright and forgiving,” she said. “Tim Burton’s films are a lot about that.”

They worked together on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

In May 2023 The Hollywood Reporter announced that Bellucci was selected for the long-awaited Beetlejuice Sequel. She plays the wife of the “ghost with the most”. The film was mostly shot in London.

“I love Tim,” said Bellucci Elle France in June 2023. “And I have a lot of respect for Tim Burton.”

“On this last point: Beetlejuice 2I really enjoyed it,” said Burton The Independent in 2023. “I tried to strip everything away and go back to the basics, which was working with good people, actors and puppets. It was like going back to the reason I love making films.”

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 28, 2024.

They performed together at a major tribute to Bellucci

In July 2024, the couple attended the Globo d’Oro Awards in Rome, where Bellucci was presented with a lifetime achievement award. The appearance was notable not only because of the award, but also because the two do not often appear together in public. On the red carpet, Burton appeared affectionate and kissed Bellucci on the cheek.

Bellucci thinks Burton has a “spectacular soul”

In an interview in 2023 with Harper’s Bazaar Spain, The actress spoke openly about her feelings for the director. “I found a wonderful spirit in Tim,” she said. “I met a spectacular soul.”