Kevin Costner has opened up about his friendship with Whitney Houston, which began more than 30 years ago when the two starred together in the film “The Bodyguard.” Costner also talked about his tribute to the late singer, who died in 2012 The 48-year-old said he refused to shorten the speech he gave for his friend, telling the “Armchair Expert” podcast.
Costner, who not only starred in the 1992 film but also produced it, said he saw Houston on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and knew he wanted to cast her in the movie, which is about a singer who has a stalker and falls in love with her bodyguard.
Costner said the film’s director, Mick Johnson, didn’t want to cast Houston. “She’s really smart. It was a movie I probably should have directed. I thought somebody else could have done a better job. But he was uncomfortable with her,” he told hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. “She was my choice. So I was the actor. I produced it. I chose her.”
She told Houston she couldn’t have anyone on set, but he promised to take care of her. “And I don’t know what it was, but there was a moment between us, and I realized the world had a high opinion of us, so I basically accepted it. I was her imaginary bodyguard,” he said.
Warner Brothers
Costner said that Houston, who was already a powerful singer At the time, however, acting roles were few, and he trusted her. “I started guiding her, and I wasn’t trying to usurp my director. But I made a promise to her,” he said, not to the director.
He said he promised Houston and record producer Clive Davis that the movie would be a hit and that he fought to keep the scene in the film. According to Box Office Mojo, “The Bodyguard” grossed nearly $122 million, and Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” for the film won several awards, including the Grammy for Record of the Year.
“And that was my promise to her,” Costner said. “She will always love me in the song. I will always keep my promise to her.”
The pair remained friends until Death of Houston Houston had been harmed by years of drug abuse when she accidentally drowned at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and an autopsy report found “cocaine and metabolites” in her body. at the time of his deathKoestner said he didn’t notice she was in any pain.
Houston’s aunt, singer Dionne Warwick, asked him to speak at the memorial service, which he initially did not want to do.
Costner said he spent a week writing the speech and when he got to the church, he loved it, but he still didn’t feel he was the right person to give it. Nevertheless, he ultimately decided to do it.
CBS
But the tribute was interrupted when he heard that CNN, which was broadcasting the funeral, wanted speakers to keep their remarks brief because of ad breaks. “And I said, they can look into that,” Costner said. “They can run ads while I’m speaking. I don’t care. But I’ve been here when I didn’t want to, you know, I didn’t want to speak for two minutes.”
He said the tribute speech was 17 minutes long. “And you said everything?” Shepard asked.
“I just felt I should say that,” Costner responded.
