‘The Bodyguard’ at 30: Kevin Costner says there were warnings against casting Whitney Houston because she was Black - Yahoo Entertainment

Whitney Houston was said to beryllium “declining successful presumption of her popularity” erstwhile her sanction came up arsenic a imaginable co-star/romantic spouse for Kevin Costner successful The Bodyguard, the deed play that opened 30 years agone today, connected Nov. 25, 1992.

“It wasn’t her ‘in’ moment," Costner told Yahoo Entertainment astir the precocious popular icon during a 2014 Role Recall interview (watch clip above). “That didn’t truly substance to me. I conscionable thought she was the cleanable choice.”

The Oscar-winning histrion and filmmaker besides revealed that contention was a origin that was dissuading parties progressive from casting the popular prima successful the relation of Rachel Marron, a euphony superstar who becomes romantically progressive with her bodyguard (Costner's Frank Farmer) portion facing threats from a stalker.

"Everybody alerted maine to the information that she was Black, which I knew," helium said.

"It mightiness person been easier 2 years earlier astatine her peak. But aft that movie, she became, I think, 1 of the biggest stars successful the world.”

Indeed, Houston, who battled cause maltreatment aboriginal successful her vocation and died successful 2012, was 2 years past the merchandise of her 3rd consecutive deed record, 1990’s I’m Your Baby Tonight. She had besides ne'er acted successful a movie before. Costner was arguably astatine the tallness of his career, having conscionable dominated the Oscars with Dances With Wolves.

“I conscionable deliberation that radical are trying to formed [who] they deliberation is the champion person, and sometimes the feeling was, ‘Well, let’s formed a existent actress, that could beryllium the champion for the movie,” said Costner, whose drawstring of hits astatine the clip had included Bull Durham (1988) and Field of Dreams (1989). “It’s similar faking being a bully shot player. When you spot 1 of our world-class actresses faking being a large singer, it doesn’t look right.

“So I truly felt that we should spell for a existent singer. It didn’t substance if she was Black oregon white. The information that she was Black, that didn’t substance to me.”

Costner tin presently beryllium seen successful Paramount Network's deed Western Yellowstone.

Houston volition get the Hollywood biopic attraction adjacent period with the merchandise of I Wanna Dance With Somebody, starring Naomi Ackie successful the pb role.

Watch our afloat Role Recall interrogation with Kevin Costner: