Kevin Costner Opens Up About Late Co-Star in New Interview
Kevin Costner holds nothing back.
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To use a famous line, it seems Kevin Costner will always love you, Whitney Houston. If you saw last night’s 28th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, you understand why. During the Red Carpet pre-game, PEOPLE stopped the 67-year-old Yellowstone lead actor and Hollywood legend for a quick chat. What happened later was a touching moment of a songstress we lost way too soon, and who died 10 years ago this month.
In 1992, The Bodyguard wasn’t expected to take over radio stations and big screens. Still, it did, chiefly because of Whitney Houston’s captivating portrayal of troubled soul and pop sensation Rachel Marron. In the film, Marron receives disturbing threats from would-be ne’er-do-wells. That’s when her manager (Gary Kemp) urges her to hire a bodyguard. Enter the rugged sap and former secret service agent Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner).
Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston had undeniable, smoldering chemistry on the screen. However, the magic moment of the movie is when Houston covers the Dolly Parton song, “I Will Always Love You,” and truly makes it her own. The rendition was so extraordinary that even Dolly was moved in a powerful way listening to Whitney hit all those notes, as she shared in a November 2020 interview with Oprah Winfrey on Apple TV+:
My heart just started to beat so fast, and then when she got into ‘I Will Always Love You,’ when that opened up, and I realized that was my song, it was the most overwhelming thing.
Dolly Parton, The Oprah Conversation, Nov. 2020
It was unforgettable, a moment that stood still in cinema history. That song, her version, is singular for many reasons. One of the most well-known ones is becoming the best-selling soundtrack with 45 million copies worldwide. It sold 831,000 albums in one week! That’s 30 years ago, and to this day, nothing touches it. Kevin Costner knew then Houston’s impression on that song, and their film was unforgettable, which he alluded to in the stand-up interview:
When movies are working at their very best, they’re about moments and images that you’ll never ever forget…I don’t think we’ll ever forget when that little song came out, that she just blew up. She sang the first part of it a cappella and musically the world was never the same.
Kevin Costner, 2022 SAG Awards, Feb. 2022
He’s right about that. Although her death was February 11, 2012, people today still feel bereft at Whitney Houston’s unfortunate passing. Fans still want more of the 48-year-old chanteuse, and thanks to her estate, Kevin Costner and the rest of the world will get it. As reported by Variety, Houston’s estate and Primary Wave Music is preparing for a comeback of sorts.
“It was time to rebuild Whitney’s business and Primary Wave, with its arsenal of industry professionals, were the right fit, a team packaged to elevate Whitney’s legacy to the next level,” says Pat Houston, the late artist’s sister-in-law and former manager, who serves as an executor of her estate.
Variety, Feb. 2022
A decade following her death and Whitney Houston has quadrupled her earnings year-over-year. More earnings are to come as Hollywood takes two vantage points of her life. A biopic coming entitled I Wanna Dance With Somebody has the full support of her estate and applauds Naomi Acker as the choice to play Whitney this December. And, of course, Tinseltown can’t resist a remake that isn’t necessary as The Bodyguard is slated for a refresher as well. It’s clear Whitney Houston’s life matters and made quite the impression upon millions of people, including one guy who seems like he’s replaying “One Moment in Time” from 10 years ago still.
