You'll Never Guess Why Stephen Hawking Wanted to Meet Kevin Costner
It had nothing to do with physics.
— -- Stephen Hawking had an interesting reason for wanting to meet Kevin Costner.
Costner discussed a decade-old encounter with the renowned physicist on Tuesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” The episode also featured Eddie Redmayne, nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Hawking in the movie “The Theory of Everything.”
Costner told Kimmel Tuesday that the two met after Hawking asked to come to Costner’s house.
“And I have a bizarre enough life as it is,” Costner said.
Costner agreed to a visit, and Hawking -- who is wheelchair-bound because of ALS -- arrived with an entourage of attendants and nurses.
Hawking’s reasons for arranging the meeting eventually emerged, Costner said.
“I was waiting for it, and finally he said, ‘I’d like to know about Whitney Houston,’” Costner said, referring to his co-star in the 1992 movie “The Bodyguard.” “I said, ‘Well, you’re just like me. Let’s get to it.’ I said, ‘You’re not the only one, Steve. A lot of people want to know about Whitney. I said, ‘What do you want to know?’ And that was it.”
“Wow, someone should tell him about email. You could have covered that really quickly,” Kimmel responded.
Redmayne, who appeared on the episode following Costner, said he met Hawking while preparing to portray him. Hawking communicates using an eye-tracker device, which results in pauses during his interactions. But Redmayne said Hawking’s presence shines through.
“He’s one of the most charismatic men I’ve ever met, and he’s definitely a ladies man,” Redmayne said.