As he turns 70, Kevin Costner is paying tribute to Whitney Houston.
Amidst the relationship speculation about Costner, some of his most defining relationships were not romantic.
Now, the veteran actor has marked a major milestone birthday.
He is also waxing nostalgic about what he and Whitney Houston meant to each other.
Kevin Costner talks with SiriusXM host Michael Smerconish during a town hall special edition of âThe Michael Smerconish Programâ at SiriusXM Studios on November 11, 2024. (Photo Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
On Saturday, January 18, Kevin Costner celebrated his birthday. The critically acclaimed actor is now 70 years old.
To celebrate his birthday, he took to his Instagram Story to share a throwback photo. This blast from the past dates back to the set of the 1992 film, The Bodyguard.
Memorably, Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston costarred in the iconic romantic thriller. “This photo reminds me of how lucky I am to be getting another birthday,” Costner captioned. “We lost such a light when we lost Whitney.”
Costner’s Story post was actually re-sharing an existing photo, one that the late Whitney Houston’s Instagram account had shared. Her estate manages the account.
“Happy birthday to Kevin Costner!” reads the post’s caption.
“A behind the scenes photo from The Bodyguard with Kevin, Whitney and Ellin La Var, Whitney’s hair stylist for the film.”
Special guest Whitney Houston at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 32nd Annual Awards at The Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers in New York City on June 14, 2001. (Photo Credit: Scott Gries/ImageDirect)
Kevin Costner has paid tribute to Whitney Houston many times
In 2012, Houston tragically passed away. She was only 48 years old.
“I loved her — it’s not like this giant mystery — so I knew that she should be the one,” Costner said at the time.
Kevin Costner poses for a portrait at the 27th SCAD Savannah Film Festival on November 01, 2024. (Photo Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SCAD)
Apparently, Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston shared a special bond while filming the project. And Costner made multiple promises to Houston — including that the film would perform well in theaters, even if it didn’t in test screenings.
Another topic was how Houston wasn’t supposed to have an entourage with her on set. The Yellowstone star stepped in.
“I was always gonna keep my promise to her,” he recalled. “[I said], ‘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.’ And that’s how we started.”
Singer Whitney Houston performs during the 2004 World Music Awards at the Thomas and Mack Center on September 15, 2004. (Photo Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
‘I was her imaginary bodyguard’
“I don’t know what it was,” Costner reflected. “But we had a moment, and I realized that the world had a higher idea of who we were.”
He continued: “So I basically embraced it. I was her imaginary bodyguard.”
Kevin Costner’s memories are of only a small part of Whitney Houston’s profound legacy. But he knew her better than her millions of fans ever could. That means so much.
