Kevin Costner said he refused to cut short his 17-minute eulogy for Whitney Houston: “I was her imaginary bodyguard.”

Kevin Costner has opened up about his friendship with Whitney Houston, more than 30 years after filming ‘The Bodyguard’ together. Costner also spoke about his eulogy for the late singer, which died in 2012 at the age of 48, telling the “Armchair Expert” podcast that he refused to have his speech in support of his friend cut short.

Costner, who not only starred in but also produced the 1992 film, said he saw Houston on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and knew he wanted to cast her in the film, which is about a singer who is harassed and falls in love with her. bodyguard.

Costner said the film’s director, Mick Johnson, didn’t want to cast Houston. “She’s really smart. It’s a movie I probably should have directed. I just thought someone could do a better job. But he wasn’t comfortable with her,” he said. he told hosts Dax Shepard and Monica Padman. “It was my choice. So I was the actor. I produced it. I cast her.”

He told Houston she couldn’t have an entourage on set, but he promised to take care of her. “And I don’t know what it was, but we had a moment, and I realized that the world had a better idea of ​​who we were, so I basically adopted it. I was his guard imaginary body,” he said.

Costner said that Houston, which was already a powerful singer at the time but had few acting roles, trusted him. “I started mentoring her, and I wasn’t trying to usurp my director. But I made her a promise,” he said, not the director.

He said he promised Houston and record producer Clive Davis that the film would be a success and fought to keep scenes in the film. “The Bodyguard” grossed nearly $122 million, according to Box Office Mojo, and Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” for the film won several awards, including a Grammy for the album’s record. ‘year.

“And that was my promise to her,” Costner said. “She will always love me in the song. I was always going to keep my promise.”

The couple remained friends until Houston’s death following an accidental drowning at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Houston had been ravaged by years of drug addiction and an autopsy report found “cocaine and metabolites” in his system. at the time of his death. Costner said he didn’t see that she was in pain.

Houston’s aunt, singer Dionne Warwick, asked him to speak at the memorial service, which he initially did not want to do.

Costner said he spent a week writing the speech and once he got to the church it felt electric, but he still didn’t think he was the right person to deliver it. However, he finally decided to do it.

But the eulogy nearly ran into a problem when it learned that CNN, which was broadcasting the funeral, wanted speakers to keep their remarks short because of commercial breaks. “And I said they can get over it,” Costner said. “They can play the commercial while I’m talking. I don’t care. But I came here when I didn’t want to, you know, I didn’t want to do two minutes.”

The eulogy, he said, lasted 17 minutes. “And you said everything?” » Shepard asked.

“That’s what I thought I should say,” Costner responded.