'He Was So Charming': Princess Diana 'Offered a Movie Role' in 'The Bodyguard' Sequel by Kevin Costner Who Promised 'To Look After Her'
Kevin Costner approached Princess Diana about appearing in the sequel to 'The Bodyguard'.
Sept. 22 2025, Published 3:19 p.m. ET
Princess Diana was approached by Kevin Costner about appearing in The Bodyguard sequel.
RadarOnline.com can reveal the Hollywood actor, 70, contacted the late royal to sound her out about making a move into acting by offering her a major breakthrough role.
Serious Offer
Costner was keen for Diana to appear in the blockbuster sequel.
Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell claimed in his new autobiography, The Royal Insider, that he "put through" Costner’s call to the Princess, who found the conversation amusing.
Burrell explains: "Diana declined an offer to move into the professional sphere of her future daughter-in-law, Meghan, and become an actress.
"She was approached to appear in The Bodyguard II alongside Kevin Costner.
"I put the call from Mr Costner through to her in the sitting room and heard fits of giggles with her saying, 'But I can't sing! What would I be expected to do? I'm not sure but yes, OK, send it and I promise I will have a look.'
"She told me at the end of the call that he had offered her the lead role in a follow-up to the smash hit which had starred Whitney Houston as the lead.
"She was to play a princess and Kevin would be her bodyguard and save her life.
"He promised it would be tastefully done and he would look after her."
Hollywood Switch
Diana 'giggled' when she discussed the offer with Costner.
Diana chuckled. "He was so charming but he cannot be serious.
"But he was extremely serious, and the script arrived for The Bodyguard II.
"I'm not sure that she ever read it but she was flattered. She politely declined the opportunity, saying, 'It is entirely impossible.'"
Costner first spoke about the axed Bodyguard sequel in 2012, saying the plot would revolve around him protecting Diana's character from stalkers and paparazzi before their relationship eventually turned romantic.
'So Charming'
Diana's former Buttler claims Costner told Diana he would 'look after her'.
Costner claimed that Diana, who died in 1997, was initially on board with the film, telling him, "My life's about to change".
He added that the second time they talked, they agreed on a kissing scene
The Bodyguard was one of the highest-grossing films of the early 1990s, with a worldwide return of more than $400million.
More than 42million copies were sold of the soundtrack – a world record – thanks largely to Whitney Houston's rendition of the Dolly Parton number I Will Always Love You.
In the first movie, Houston played a singer in a role written originally for Diana Ross.
Her performance, and the film's success, briefly made her one of the highest-paid actors in the world in the mid-1990s.
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Whitney Houston helped turn the original movie into a global hit.
The idea for the sequel reportedly came during this trip to China taken by Diana with Costner, Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York) and Hong Kong restaurant mogul David Tang.
In recent years, Costner has shared that his relationship with the Royal Family soured after Diana's death.
He said on The Howard Stern Show that around a year after Diana's passing, it leaked out he was prepping the sequel with her.
"The Royal Family kind of turned on me a little bit", he said.
"And it got actually kind of ugly. And I let it go for a while. It just got uglier and uglier."
