Is it just us or do Princess Diana and Meghan Markle have a lot in common? Two outsiders to the royal family, incessantly harangued by the press — and now, it’s revealed that Prince Harry’s mother had an interest in acting too. Apparently, Sarah Ferguson encouraged Princess Diana to star in Bodyguard‘s sequel, a follow-up to the 1992 hit film starring Kevin Costner. Diana was in fact confirmed for the role, but scripts weren’t assembled until days before her death. Costner recently opened up about the experience of getting Diana involved, and noted hat Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson was instrumental to her casting.
Costner had a very specific vision for the Bodyguard sequel, and he wanted a real-life royal to bring it to life. The film would have shown Costner, reprising his character from the first Bodyguard film, acting as Diana’s bodyguard and protecting her from various threats before the two fall in love. Diana was reportedly interested in the role — but Costner credits Ferguson (also known as Fergie) for bringing the project to Diana’s attention. “Sarah was really important,” Costner tells PeopleTV’s Couch Surfing, “I always respect Sarah because she’s the one that set up the conversation between me and Diana.”
Kevin Costner Shares How Princess Diana Almost Starred in Bodyguard Sequel — with Help from Fergie! https://t.co/NExPxrRanS
— People (@people) June 28, 2019
Costner appreciates more than Ferguson putting him in touch with Diana: He also respects that the duchess never tried to claim the movie role for herself. “She never said, ‘Well, what about me? I’m a princess too,'” Costner recalls. “She was just so supportive of the idea.” Once Diana was on board, Costner remembers her being equally lovely to work with — if a bit unnerved by what this new project would entail. “I just remember her being incredibly sweet on the phone, and she asked the question, she goes, ‘Are we going to have like a kissing scene?’ Costner shares. “She was nervous because her life was very governed. And I said, ‘Yeah, there’s going to be a little bit of that, but we can make that okay too.'”
Tragedy struck before the project ever moved forward, but clearly Costner remembers their conversations fondly. The world is a darker place without Princess Diana in it — and certainly without a starring role in Bodyguard 2 by which to remember her.
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