Kevin Costner Says He Was Whitney Houston's 'Imaginary Bodyguard': 'I Basically Embraced It'

Costner shared how he developed a proxy "bodyguard" type of relationship with his former costar, Whitney Houston, while filming 'The Bodyguard'

Kevin Costner was a "bodyguard" to Whitney Houston both on and off-screen.

The Yellowstone star, 69, spoke with Dax Shepard and podcast host Monica Padman on the June 3 episode of Armchair Expert about his storied career and briefly divulged about his time with the legendary singer on set of The Bodyguard.

Towards the start of the episode, Shepard, 49, confessed to Costner that he wanted to ask about the actor’s late costar, asking specifically about their dynamic on the set of the 1992 hit film.

Costner obliged and affectionately spoke of his late friend. He immediately explained that director Mick Jackson “was uncomfortable” with Houston, noting that he himself picked her for the role, quickly adding, “I loved her. It's not like this giant mystery. So I knew that she should be the one.”

Costner explained that because he “produced” her in the film and requested she “not bring an entourage,” there was a moment where she trusted [him].” He noted that during one specific moment as he looked at her, he “could see the director was afraid of her.”

“I started to guide her,” said Costner. “And I wasn't trying to usurp my director, but I had made a promise to her, not to f---ing him.”

Related: Kevin Costner Reflects on' Bodyguard' Costar Whitney Houston at SAG Awards: 'We'll Never Forget'

Costner continued to reveal how he kept his promise to Houston and her manager at the time, Clive Davis. He noted that the film didn’t originally test well, but he made a “promise to her” that the movie was going to work. “She's always gonna love me, in the song. I was always gonna keep my promise to her.”

As the interview continued, Shepard admitted how “enamored” he was by Houston’s “once in a generation” talent.

“There was a moment where I knew when Whitney came, I said, ‘Look, you can't have an entourage, but I'm gonna take care of you if there's a person important to you’ — turned out to be Robyn Crawford  — I said, ‘Let's have Robyn with you… I don't have [an entourage] you're not going to have one.’ And that's how we started.”

Shepard chimed in, noting how Costner “must have made her feel really safe,” adding, “that's what the entourage is all about I mean there's a lot of fear —”

Costner then interjected, “I don't know what it was, but we had a moment, and I realized that the world had a higher idea of who we were, so I basically embraced it. I was her imaginary bodyguard.”

“It's so sweet. It works on all these levels,” Shepard replied. “I think there were probably real things that were happening that really helped in what we ended up seeing. You were her bodyguard — it's not even the rhetorical.”

“Yeah, psychologically,” concluded Padman, 36.

Related: Kevin Costner Calls Clive Davis Whitney Houston's 'Bodyguard': 'You Were a Miracle in Her Life'

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