Singer, Actress, and model Whitney Houston was already a global mega-star by 1990.
She had a string of hit records and was crowned “The Voice” by fans and critics. It made sense for her to make a foray into acting, and The Bodyguard was the perfect film. Originally written for Diana Ross in the ’70s, it got floated around for decades until it landed its lead actress in Houston.
Despite becoming one of her biggest projects to date, Houston initially turned it down. She did not want to kick off her acting career with a starring role and worried people would “dog” her before she got to do the job. Kevin Costner was already attached to the film and refused to do it with anyone but Whitney.
He reportedly waited a year for her to accept and even called her personally and promised to coach her through the role. “We postponed the movie for a year to wait for Whitney,” Costner said at the time. “There’s an exotic quality to Whitney, there’s this thing about her, and guys are in love with her.”
Whitney has stated how his passion for her to be in the role is what most attracted her to the movie. “I got word that he wanted me to do this film and that he didn’t want anyone else to do it besides me. That intrigued me. [I thought] ‘Why can’t anybody else do this film?'”
Costner has admitted to being very fond of Houston prior to shooting and falling for her while making the movie. Their chemistry was very apparent on the screen, and they became really great friends following the movie. He wrote her letters often and even spoke at her funeral.
Despite having very clear and apparent emotions for Houston, Kevin Costner was already a married man when he filmed The Bodyguard. His wife, Cindy Costner, was with him before his big break in “Dances With Wolves.”
Cindy acted as well and appeared in “Wolves,” but never on the same level as her husband. They were married 16 years and shared three children. Unfortunately, Kevin did not cope well with fame and began to change while his career was taking off.
Cindy accused him of being unfaithful and was not happy about his obsession over Houston. Reports at the time say that Costner was head over heels for Houston and that it was very apparent on and off set.
He was also tied up with several other women around that time, including actresses Christine Dennard and Sheri Stewart. Cindy was so fed up that she hired a private detective to spy on Kevin and confronted him in Hawaii, where he was filming Waterworld.
When she got there, she found out he was secretly dating a dancer on the island named Michelle Amaral. He also had affairs with several of the waitresses at the restaurant they owned in Pasadena. They would finally divorce in 1994 and Cindy would be awarded $50 million. Kevin would eventually remarry in 2004 to model Christine Baumgartner.
Whitney Houston’s love life took her down a different road. She would marry Bobby Brown, and the two would be together for over a decade. Shortly after their divorce, she was connected to R&B singer Ray J as well. Houston is also rumored that have been dating her assistant Robyn Crawford on and off thought her life.
She and Costner never dated officially but did remain friends. He was one of the first to come forward and speak on Houston following her passing in 2012. Costner revealed that he and Whitney bonded heavily over growing up in Baptist churches.
While speaking at her funeral, he revealed how much she inspired their film and how much he encouraged and coached her through the process of making her first movie. Costner also had a hand in selecting the film’s signature song, “I Will Always Love You,” suggesting the record start acapella, something the producers fought him on initially.
Costner told Anderson Cooper in April of 2012 that he tried to get Whitney to help with her addiction. He would reach out regularly but admits he does not know if she ever read his letter. Costner also admits that Whitney Houston was his “one true love.”
He released a statement expressing his regret for not being able to “save her” like he did in their movie. “For the rest of my life I will have to live with that pain.” In the same statement, the actor stated ‘I Will Always Love You’ is still his ringtone.
“She was my one true love”- Kevin Costner on Whitney Houston. pic.twitter.com/dfGYLI1Hkc
— Hoochie Wally Wally (@ChimGAT) August 9, 2020
Whitney never spoke about her and Kevin’s chemistry and is said to have shut things down immediately after filming to be with Bobby.
