Kevin Costner Speaks on Whitney Houston’s Impact From ‘The Bodyguard’
Whitney Houston was already a major star but her role in The Bodyguard took her to new heights. Had it not been for Kevin Costner’s persistence, Houston would have not starred in the movie. Costner handpicked Houston and even delayed production to accommodate Houston’s hectic tour schedule. He made the right decision and it became the highest grossing movie of the year. In a recent interview, Costner spoke of Houston’s impact.
Kevin Costner says the world has never been the same since Whitney Houston
Costner played Houston’s bodyguard turned love interest in the 1992 romantic thriller. He spoke lovingly of working with Houston ahead of the SAG Awards recently. His remarks come on the heels of Houston’s 10-year death anniversary.
“When movies are working at their very best, they’re about moments and images that you’ll never ever forget,” Costner said of the movie on the red carpet of the SAG Awards as reported by Entertainment Weekly. He then spoke of Houston’s No. 1 hit “I Will Always Love You,” which spent 14-weeks at the top spot on the charts, won dozens of awards, and catapulted Houston into an even higher level of fame. The song was featured on the film’s soundtrack and was a remake of Dolly Parton’s country classic.
“I don’t think we’ll ever forget when that little song came out, that she just blew up,” Costner said. “She sang the first part of it a cappella and musically the world was never the same. We have a moment of her in that movie we’ll never ever forget that and I think that when movies are working at their best, that’s what can happen.”
Costner spoke at Houston’s funeral in 2012. In a 2019 interview with Entertainment Weekly, he spoke of his chemistry with Houston and credits the film’s screenwriter for the magic.
“[It was a] very funny, acidic kind of relationship that was unique,” Costner said. “His own rhythm of language that I knew would create [sparks]. It just caught [Whitney] at a really high moment or actually created a high moment for her. The words provide the chemistry in a way.”
The actor contributed majorly to Whitney Houston’s signature ballad
David Foster was handpicked to produce the film’s soundtrack. He struggled to find the perfect signature song for the film. In his documentary, David Foster: Off The Record, he spoke of his process of producing the biggest songs of his career. The soundtrack to the film is something he’s proud of.
“The big thing what – was kind of song could really capture the essence of the leads, the emotion, and make it more than just a thriller,” Clive Davis, head of Houston’s record label, said.
Initially, Foster wanted “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted,” a midtempo track by Jimmy Ruffin. He only liked the hook of the song and needed something better. Eventually, he came across Parton’s version of “I Will Always Love You” and knew instantly how to make the song work for Houston.
Costner insisted the song begin with an acapella portion but Foster was not sold on the idea. He agreed to do the record Costner’s way for Houston’s performance in the film but planned to add music to the opening for the actual single release.
Clive Davis made the final decision on the version of the song to release
Davis and Costner loved the original mix with Houston beginning the song acapella, with Foster still in opposition. “It gave me chills,” Davis said.
Foster continued to fight to add music to the beginning of the song. Davis insisted he knew Houston would prefer the acapella version. Foster didn’t believe the song would be played on the radio if it started acapella.
“He repeated more obscenities in this conversation than I had ever heard,” Davis said of Foster. The final decision about the song was left up to Davis and he ultimately chose the iconic version with the acapella beginning we all know and love.
