The movie was originally scheduled to be made in the ’70s with Steve McQueen and Diana Ross.
Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan dated The Bodyguard in the mid-’70s. At the same time, the lead roles in the film were planned to be played by the best artists of their time, Steve McQueen and Diana Ross. But the launch of the project was constantly delayed – and it was not possible to implement the original version. In total, the film was attempted to go into production 67 times before being removed under Kevin Costner’s production. By the way, the number 67 was reflected in the name of the Oscar, where the events of the third act of the film unfolded – the ceremony was called the 67th in a row, which was two years ahead of real time. .
Playing the lead role of Frank Farmer’s bodyguard, Costner nonetheless paid tribute to his failed predecessor. The actor admitted that he tried to copy McQueen’s style from the outside and even did the same hairstyle.
Diana Ross and Steve McQueen
Global Outlook Press
On the movie poster, Costner is not hiring Whitney Houston.
This became known only in 2019 – 27 years after the premiere of the film. In one of the TV shows, Costner said that it was not Houston who personally posed for the poster with him, but his stunt double.
According to the actress, there were several different shoots, but Costner’s character carried her client, singer Rachel Marron, which turned out to be the most successful. “I asked the backup to hide his face. This also added drama to the picture,” Kostner admitted.
Poster for the movie “Protection” (1992)
Warner Bros. pictures
Madonna auditioned for the female lead, but Costner refused to take her into the project because she was ridiculed.
Although Costner – as producer of the tape – immediately represented Houston in place of their Warner Bros. boss, Rachel Marron. She insisted on a full casting. At first, Janet Jackson, Olivia Newton-John and even Madonna got the main female role. Kostner personally refused to include the latter in the project.
The actress remembered the teasing taunt of the Queen of Pop. It was after one of the singer’s concerts. Kostner came backstage to meet her and praise her performance. Madonna shook hands with the actress and then turned around and pretended to be sick. She was caught on camera at that moment and became a part of the documentary In Bed with Madonna.
singer Madonna
Global Outlook Press
The legendary title song of the movie was written and performed for the first time by Dolly Parton.
Jimmy Ruffin’s song “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” was originally supposed to be the title track of the movie, but it soon became clear that the song was used in “Fried Green Tomatoes” a year ago. Later, Costner suggested that Houston cover Dolly Parton’s 1974 song “I Will Always Love You”. He also advised Whitney to start the song a cappella.
The film also includes another country cover of Parton’s song. The song plays in the background during Frank and Rachel’s date while they dance at the bar. Thanks to Houston’s performance and the popularity of the song “I Will Always Love You”, the soundtrack to “The Bodyguard” is considered the best-selling soundtrack in history: 17 million copies in the US and 45 million copies worldwide.
The song “I Will Always Love You” was not nominated for an Oscar because it was not an original composition. But the other two hits of the tape were nominated in the category of “Best song for the movie”: “Run to You” and “I Have Nothing”.
Singer Dolly Parton
Mark Humphrey
The mansion of the hero Houston is the same place where one of the heroes of The Godfather lives.
If you are the first fanGodfather”, the mansion of the hero Houston in “The Bodyguard” may sound familiar to you. The same house appears in the first part of Francis Ford Coppola’s legendary trilogy – the scene in which the boss of the Hollywood movie studio Jack Woltz finds a bloody horse head in his bed.
But fans of television projects may seem familiar with the basement of the house of the hero Costner. It also served as the habitat of one of the characters in the series NCIS: Special Department, which was released 10 years later.
Curiously, actor Ralph Waite, who plays Frank Farmer’s father, also played the father of one of the characters in NCIS: Special Branch, who lives in the same basement.
Frame from the movie “The Bodyguard” (1992)
Warner Bros. pictures
On set, Houston miscarried and one crew member died in an accident.
It was not done on the set of “The Bodyguard” and without tragic events. In the middle of filming, Houston had a miscarriage. In an interview with TV presenter Barbara Walters from 1993, the artist admitted that due to the busy shooting schedule, he did not even have the opportunity to recover from the loss. “It was horrible, I felt gross, but I was on set the next day without telling anyone what happened,” said Houston, who later had a daughter named Christina a year later.
Also during the filming, an accident occurred that took the life of one of the members of the film crew. A 33-year-old transportation department employee was run over by two malfunctioning lighting cranes.
Frame from the movie “The Bodyguard” (1992)
Warner Bros. pictures
Some of the erotic scenes were abandoned at Houston’s request.
There were more explicit scenes in the original script, but some were cut by Houston during the pre-production stage. The artist refused to appear nude and joked that “a bare butt is not my best asset”. Also, a number of romantic scenes were abandoned during the final edit – director Mick Jackson found them unnecessary.
Frame from the movie “The Bodyguard” (1992)
Warner Bros. pictures
The film had to be remade due to criticism of Houston’s acting.
Initial screenings of the film for focus groups were unsuccessful. Houston’s performance, which Costner wanted from the very beginning not to take acting lessons to preserve her naturalness, was not liked by the audience. The writers also felt that there was no chemistry between the main characters in the original version of the picture. The director rearranged the tape to increase the romantic attraction between the main characters at the end of the film.
Meanwhile, in the early 90s, interracial relations in the film caused a controversial reaction in society. Some considered such a cast to be an attempt by the filmmakers to “set the agenda”. But Costner himself denied this version: “We didn’t put anything in it. It just so happens that I’m white and the heroine is black. In fact, I always thought Whitney was an incredible beauty – and it was hard for me to imagine a man who wouldn’t dream of kissing her.
Still from the movie “Protection” (1992)
Warner Bros. pictures
Bodyguard was the second highest-grossing film of 1992
The $25 million crime melodrama grossed up to $411 million at the worldwide box office. Such a success helped make The Bodyguard the second most financially successful film of 1992. The first place was taken by the Disney animated hit Aladdin.
Frame from the movie “The Bodyguard” (1992)
Warner Bros. pictures
Coster wanted to shoot a sequel and sought Princess Diana for the main role.
In 1997, Kevin Costner considered making a movie for the sequel to The Bodyguard and considered Princess Diana for the lead female role, even managing to include it in the project before the tragic car accident she died in. The plot would be based on a love story attributed to the Princess of Wales and her bodyguard, Barry Mannaki. However, after Lady Dee’s death, this project remained a sketch.
In 2011, Warner Bros. He considered doing a remake and Rihanna was considered for the lead role. However, the singer refused this offer, as she did not want to play a singer on the screen.
Princess Diana (July 1, 1961 – August 31, 1997)
Giovanni Deffidenti/AP
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.