MovieChat Forums > The Bodyguard (1992) Discussion > Kevin Costner and Whitney Kissing..

Kevin Costner and Whitney Kissing..

posted 12 years ago by Arimas01
24 replies | jump to latest

I grew up in a predominately black city and area. I remember seeing this movie when it first came out. I was about 13 back then and what sticks out the most is every time Whitney and Kevin Costner showed any signs of affection (especially, kissing) the audience in the theater would all simultaneously erupt into sounds of complete shock and disgust (e.g, ughh, gross, yuck). It was 1992 and this couldn't have been the first time these people had seen an interracial couple kissing on screen and she could have done a lot worse than Kevin Costner. I remember wondering "Am I missing something, does he have halitosis or gingivitis?" Now, every time I see him (especially in this movie), I get a strange feeling. Does anybody have any other theories besides the obvious (racism)?

Don't Worry Be Happy.

[–] mdm432001 12 years ago

When the movie came out in the theater I was about your age as well, but did not have the chance to see it in theater. You know back in the early 90's racism was still a big thing especially in Hollywood. They did not even want Kevin to do the movie with Whitney cause she was black. They gave him a hard time he had to fight for her to be in the movie. I think it was the first real black and white romantic movie they had in Hollywood at that time.

[–] spookyrat1 11 years ago

... he had to fight for her to be in the movie.

Well if the story is true, he was proven to have done the right thing many times over.

[–] ckmsaxophone 11 years ago

The movie was controversial back in the '70s when the idea first came up. Originally, it was supposed to star Diana Ross and Steve McQueen, but that was considered a problem back then. It's strange, considering there was "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," which had been released at an earlier time.

I was born the year The Bodyguard was released and it surprises me to hear that something like that was controversial even then. In today's world, I doubt anyone would put much thought into it or scoff at it. Maybe some would, but they would be in the minority.

I think it may be because a movie is available so widely for people to see. It's on a big screen and it's obviously a conscious effort by the filmmakers to put it on the screen and make a statement of sorts. Like people can be okay in theory with an interracial couple kissing (or, in today's terms, a same-sex couple kissing), but when they see it played on a screen or in real life, they turn their heads away, are shocked, etc. I don't know why that is and it seems a bit hypocritical, but still it happens.

"I must express myself." - Delia Deetz

[–] MyMovieTVRomance 9 years ago

Overall, I think the 1980s and 1990s were much better decades than anything in the 21st century has been. Because for example, while more people may have had an adverse reaction to an interracial couple in a film back then than they would now, they are also quicker to condemn any and everyone who has even the slightest difference of opinion now, whereas, back then, differences of opinion on anything from race-relations to comedy didn't typically equal total public damnation. So, on the whole, I think we are living in a much more reactionary time, with people always offended about something, whereas, on the whole, people were much more forgiving back then, and as a result, much nicer--even if they didn't react the best to the couple in the movie. That's my impression anyway.

Even if people in general are less against inter-racial relationships today than they were in the 1980s and 1990s, the irony is that while mixed casts are often not only accepted but preferred today, we have become much more methodical about it, even going so far as to call out any movie that has "too much of this race and not enough of that one." It's all so calculated today. So, in an ironic twist, I think today's society, in its attempts to "diversify" and live "post-racially", is actually much more race-focused and uptight than they ever were when this movie was made.

Please excuse typos/funny wording; I use speech-recognition that doesn't always recognize!

[–] Trixie27 11 years ago

If you grew up in a black area, I'm sure those negative reactions was mostly from black men who hated the idea of a beautiful black woman like Whitney kissing an older, average-looking white guy like Kevin Costner. He is definitely not ugly but he isn't Brad Pitt! I'm black and I know many black men who STILL get very angry when they see or hear about a black woman dating or marrying a man that isn't black. Some examples are Paula Patton and Robin Thicke; Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez; and Janet Jackson and her billionaire BF. I think it's hilarious given the propensity for a lot of BM to date or marry women of other races. But the double standard exists in full force even in 2014.

[–] one189teen50five 11 years ago

I'd take and kiss Kevin over Brad Pitt any day of the week. I'm white and my mother loved this movie so much we saw it four times and more after it came on VHS and shown on tv. There is nothing wrong with this relationship in this movie. It's just people being racial.

[–] Geekery 11 years ago

Haha -- I was just about to say that. I was like wait a minute, I've NEVER found Brad Pitt attractive a day in my life, but Kevin Costner? I could eat that man up no matter the film, no matter his age.

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RIP Daisy

[–] Trixie27 10 years ago

To each his own. But I've heard black men say it bothered them. Of course, nothing is wrong with the relationship portrayed in the movie. They were deeply and passionately in love. But, in reality, it's still a problem for a lot of people. I say, who cares?

Ironically, Brad Pitt dated Robin Givens in the early 90s. So he definitely had a thing for at least one black woman... lol

[–] Geekery 11 years ago

The last time I checked Paula Patton and Halle Berry were biracial. Nothing irks me more than when a person takes someone who is half-black and claims that they're entirely black. As someone biracial and bi-cultural, that gets right under my skin.

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RIP Daisy

[–] Trixie27 10 years ago

Nobody is claiming they're black...they do! Nothing irks ME more than people who want to tell someone what their own race is when they've already identified themselves a certain race. Kim Kardashian is a perfect example. She is constantly being called white but she has expressed on numerous occasions she is Armenian. They are NOT white!

[–] Noone222 8 years ago

Armenian isn't a race and I hate to break it to you but they are Caucasian.

[–] aquarianbrass 8 years ago

Armenian is a race and they are literally Caucasian but no necessarily white.

[–] Noone222 8 years ago

Armenian is not a race.

[–] neelay123 10 years ago

Paula Patton and Halle Berry consider themselves to be black.

[–] ninjacatprincess 9 years ago

Don't get it twisted...if you're black and mixed with anything...it makes you black in America!

[–] Livana_Faolan 10 years ago

Quite frankly, I prefer Kevin Costner over Brad Pitt. To me, he's far more attractive.

[–] LetThemEatCake01 10 years ago

Brad Pitt is hideous.

[–] starlyleo 9 years ago

Unlike Costner,he does not age well too

[–] Livana_Faolan 10 years ago

Shame on them for having that reaction, which I chalk up to nothing but racism.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Quentin36 9 years ago

In very sorry to hear that.

I would say though in Canada I don't recall that reaction

[–] mytravelbug1 9 years ago

Whitney did do a lot worse than Kevin,she married Bobby Brown.Imagine spending all day kissing Kevin then going home to Bobby, that's not a reality I would like to face.

[–] SenoritaTorres 9 years ago

I was in the audience at Graham Norton last month when Kevin Costner was a guest and may I say, I still definitely would. He's gorgeous.

[–] farynhite 8 years ago

I just watched The Bodyguard for the first time in 20 years (age 7 or 8 at the time). 20 years ago it was one of my favorites. I probably saw it at least 20 times back in the day. Usually a movie stays with me forever if the soundtrack is also top-notch so if you liked it or not, it's a definite classic. I did not see it in theaters nor did I watch it with racists so I was never aware this movie was controversial aside from subject matter in the film itself (fame, violence, pride, envy, humility). It sucks that there could be any reaction to two people kissing based on the color of their skin. This is an important issue because today Hollywood doesn't make serious mainstream interracial movies. After desegregation, sure, there were a lot of movies finally able to examine the rights of human beings like Guess Who's Coming to Dinner or Giant...but that was also during the time of censorship and ridiculous modesty in film so those movies could talk about the issues and compel open-minded viewers to think about the content, but didn't actually demonstrate them in a literal, visual manner which sadly seems to rub a$$holes the wrong way to this day. Wasn't the 'remake' of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner a comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Zoe Saldana? The original wasn't a comedy. Hmmm. I hope we all stop sucking eventually.

-Farynhite
Mabel is not crazy, she's unusual. She's not crazy, so don't say she's crazy.