\n<\/aside>\nWhat a difference a song makes \u2014 especially when it’s sung by the Greatest Voice of All.<\/p>\n
That was no doubt the case when Whitney Houston’s epic rendition of \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d hit No. 1 before \u201cThe Bodyguard\u201d \u2014 the blockbuster flick that spawned the smash single \u2014 was even released 30 years ago on Nov. 25, 1992. But Houston’s forever-claiming cover of Dolly Parton’s 1974 country hit wasn’t the original choice to soundtrack the moment when the singer and Kevin Costner run into each other’s arms in a bittersweet goodbye at the end of the romantic thriller.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was supposed to sing ‘What Becomes of the Brokenhearted,’ \u201d Maureen Crowe, music supervisor of \u201cThe Bodyguard,\u201d told The Post about the 1966 Jimmy Ruffin Motown classic. \u201cBut when you slow that song down, it’s like a dirge. And it had been covered for ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ [by Paul Young in 1991], and it was climbing the charts as we were shooting ‘The Bodyguard.’ So we couldn’t use that song because it would just seem like we ripped it off from ‘Fried Green Tomatoes.’ \u201d<\/p>\nWhitney Houston sang \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d live in a few takes while filming \u201cThe Bodyguard.\u201d<\/figcaption>\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett C<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIt was Crowe who went on to suggest \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d \u2014 which she had only previously heard from Linda Ronstadt’s 1975 remake \u2014 to producer-star Costner. And the rest is movie history.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bodyguard,\u201d which was R-rated, went on to become the second-biggest worldwide movie of 1992, second only to the top-grossing G movie \u201cAladdin.\u201d With Costner on an unstoppable roll from 1987’s \u201cThe Untouchables,\u201d 1988’s \u201cBull Durham,\u201d 1989’s \u201cField of Dreams\u201d and 1990’s \u201cDances with Wolves,\u201d and Houston at the peak of her pop powers with nine No. 1 hits already in her career, it was a magical meeting of the best \u2014 and biggest \u2014 of both worlds.<\/p>\n
It was even hard to tell which was mightier \u2014 the movie or the soundtrack. With Houston at the crystal-high-note-hitting helm, the \u201cBodyguard\u201d LP went on to become the best-selling soundtrack of all time and won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1994. But as major of a big-screen debut as it was for the late superstar, she had deep doubts about stepping into the role of another \u00fcber diva \u2014 Rachel Marron \u2014 who needs bodyguard Frank Farmer (Costner) to protect her from a stalker.<\/p>\nWhitney Houston and Kevin Costner slow-danced to a country version of \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d in \u201cThe Bodyguard.\u201d<\/figcaption>REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cShe was nervous about the whole thing, and I remember she said a couple times, ‘You know, I don’t know what I’m doing \u2014 I’m a singer, I’m not an actor,’ \u201d said Tomas Arana, who played former Secret Service agent Greg Portman, who turned out be the hitman hired to kill Rachel. \u201cAnd I said to her, ‘Whitney, you’re a star \u2014 don’t worry about it.’ \u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, Costner \u2014 who finally got cameras rolling on the Lawrence Kasdan script after it was originally attached to Steve McQueen and then Ryan O’Neal to play opposite Diana Ross in the ’70s \u2014 only wanted Houston in the role of Rachel Marron.<\/p>\n
And DeVaughn Nixon \u2014 who, at 8 years old, played Houston’s son Fletcher in \u201cThe Bodyguard\u201d \u2014 believes that the role of Rachel Marron was as tailor-made for her as one of the custom costumes she wore in the movie.<\/p>\nAs an 8-year-old, DeVaughn Nixon bonded with Kevin Costner on the set of \u201cThe Bodyguard.\u201d<\/figcaption>\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett C<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cIt was pretty true to herself,\u201d said Nixon, who now stars on HBO’s \u201cWinning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty\u201d \u2014 playing his basketball-star dad Norm Nixon \u2014 and FX’s \u201cSnowfall.\u201d \u201cThere weren’t too many differences. I mean, she was n’t that much of a diva \u2014 she had to heighten it for the movie, of course \u2014 but she was, in a way, almost telling her story. I just feel like Rachel Marron is the alter ego [in whom] she finally got to escape \u2026 play this person who essentially she actually was.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Houston \u201cnever played the star card,\u201d said Gary Kemp, who portrayed Rachel’s publicist Sy Spector. \u201cShe hung out with the crew, she did n’t scurry off to her trailer\u2026 She had the lovely partner of hers, Robyn [Crawford, Houston\u2019s former assistant and secret lover]with her most of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Houston would even treat the cast and crew by breaking into song behind the scenes. \u201cOne of my overriding memories is sitting in a trailer at 6 am in the morning, having my makeup applied, and her sitting next to me bursting into gospel,\u201d said Kemp, who, as a member of ’80s British band Spandau Ballet, had his own pop experience that scored him points with Costner. \u201cHe said, ‘That song you wrote, [the 1983 hit] ‘True,’ belongs to me and my wife.’ \u201d<\/p>\n
Sadly, Kemp also bonded in grief with the \u201cBodyguard\u201d cast and crew over the tragic death of flu truck driver William Vitagliano, who was accidentally crushed between a pair of cranes about six weeks into the shoot in January 1992. \u201cIt was devastating, \u201d said Kemp, who released a solo album, \u201cINSOLO,\u201d in 2021. \u201cIt was a pretty tough experience for everybody. But after taking some time off, we carried on filming.\u201d<\/p>\nWhitney Houston performing \u201cQueen of the Night\u201d in \u201cThe Bodyguard.\u201d<\/figcaption>\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett C<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAnd for Nixon, there would be many happy moments \u2014 from snowball fights with Costner in Lake Tahoe to poolside fun at the Beverly Hills mansion that served as Rachel’s home. Known as the \u201cBeverly Hills Compound,\u201d it was the same location where the famous horse head scene took place in \u201cThe Godfather.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mostly, though, Nixon remembers the special bond he had with Houston as his \u201cguardian\u201d on set. \u201cWhitney looked over me,\u201d he said. \u201cI was like every kid. She would sing hymns to me, she would tell me about the Bible. She would just educate me on everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Houston, though, was admittedly learning herself on the set of \u201cThe Bodyguard.\u201d And when it came time for a kissing scene with Arana, she wasn’t comfortable with locking lips. \u201cThe first time I met her was when we were in the bedroom about to do the kissing scene,\u201d he said. \u201cShe said, ‘I’m so sorry, but I’m just so nervous. I don’t really want to kiss on the lips.’ So I ended up just kind of kissing her neck, and we’re sort of caressing each other. But we’re not actually kissing on the lips.\u201d<\/p>\nKevin Costner only wanted Whitney Houston for the role of Rachel Marron in \u201cThe Bodyguard.\u201d<\/figcaption>\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett C<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs for his romantic rival in \u201cThe Bodyguard,\u201d Arana said that Costner was \u201ca sweetheart, super nice, down to earth\u201d during the shoot. In fact, when a nasty bout of food poisoning sent Arana to the hospital during filming at the iconic Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, the \u201cYellowstone\u201d star paid him a visit with a very special gift. <\/p>\n
\u201cKevin and I talked about baseball,\u201d said the actor, who co-stars in the film \u201cLimonov,\u201d due in 2023. \u201cAnd he brought me a baseball signed by [Hall of Famer] Brooks Robinson that he had. He had played some type of charity baseball game or softball game with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
But aside from convincing Houston to take the role, perhaps Costner’s biggest stroke of genius was coming up with the idea for his leading lady to start \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d a cappella. Those 42 seconds of pure brilliance had us all at \u201chello.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThere was some nervousness about if we go with it as a single, radio may think, ‘People will think we’re off the air,’ \u201d said Crowe of the version that Houston recorded live with her band in a few takes on set. \u201cAnd that turned out not to be a problem at all. It exploded on radio.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThe Bodyguard\u201d music supervisor Maureen Crowe (far left, front) celebrated with Whitney Houston and team at the 1994 Grammys.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWith special releases celebrating the 30th anniversary of \u201cThe Bodyguard\u201d \u2014 as well as the Houston biopic \u201cI Wanna Dance with Somebody\u201d due Dec. 21 \u2014 the love for Houston lives on 10 years after her death. And to this day, Arana plays \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d before he needs to cry for a scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s because I associate it with the wonderful soul of Whitney Houston, the sweetness of her smile and the tragedy of her too-short life.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What a difference a song makes \u2014 especially when it’s sung by the Greatest Voice of All. That was no doubt the case when Whitney Houston’s epic rendition of \u201cI Will Always Love You\u201d hit No. 1 before \u201cThe Bodyguard\u201d \u2014 the blockbuster flick that spawned the smash single \u2014 was even released 30 years …<\/p>\n
What Whitney Houston was supposed to sing<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[5],"tags":[37075,39501,39502,39503,109,1663,327,111,39504,20559],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Whitney Houston was supposed to sing - harchi90<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n