Neal McDonough came under heavy fire for turning down acting opportunities that went against his religious beliefs.
In Hollywood, where actors face immense pressure to conform, Neal McDonough has carved out a unique path for himself through unwavering principles and faith.
The Yellowstone actor has encountered several difficulties and obstacles throughout his career as a result of turning down parts that required him to perform s*x or kissing sequences. McDonough gives two reasons for this, both of which have to do with his religious and personal beliefs.
After marrying Ruve McDonough in 2003, the actor, a longtime Catholic, made the decision to honor his wife and his faith by declining to be involved in any intimate scenes.
The Reason Why Neal McDonough Refuses To Do Intimate Scenes
Neal McDonough has had a diverse and impressive career in Hollywood. However, even with a career spanning several genres and roles, he has kept one thing constant. That is his steadfast refusal to participate in intimate scenes. Not just n*de scenes, but he also refuses to participate in scenes that invoke taking the name of God in vain (via Faith on View).
It was further detailed in the Church Leaders report that the respect and love he has for his wife outweighs the love he has for acting. Further, he received a lot of criticism from those who thought he is too rigid in his ideas. People felt that he was being unduly pious, but he avoided certain situations primarily to avoid disrespecting his wife and their marriage. He further added:
I won’t do kissing scenes. (Further) I’ve never wanted to do it, and you know, I got crucified about 10 years ago where they thought I was this religious zealot that I wouldn’t do sex scenes. It was really because I love my wife more than I love my craft, and people couldn’t understand that.
Born and raised in Boston, Neal McDonough is a devout Christian. His personal and professional lives have been profoundly impacted by his upbringing. In 2021, he relived his early years with Michael Rosenbaum on his Inside of You podcast. According to McDonough, going to Mass with his father was a bonding experience for him. This further encouraged him to have a strong relationship with his faith throughout his time in high school.
But these values had their own setbacks. He explained in the same podcast how these values were the primary cause of his 2010 dismissal from the television series Scoundrels. He almost lost his profession and personal life as a result of this setback. However, even this didn’t deter the actor from upholding his moral principles.
Due to His Beliefs, Neal McDonough Was Almost Blacklisted From Hollywood
The actor can often be seen helming villains and evil roles on screen. However, in reality, he’s a very gentle and kind husband to Ruve McDonough. His love was so great that he started refusing roles that required him to be intimate with somebody else on screen. This, on the other hand, resulted in him getting blackballed in Hollywood.
While talking at the Conference on Business and Ethics event in 2019, the actor detailed that he nearly lost everything due to his refusal to kiss another woman who wasn’t his wife. He added:
They said, ‘You have to do it, or we’re going to fire you.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I’m not going to do it, so they fired me. I was blackballed for two years. I couldn’t get a job, and because of that, I lost my big beautiful house in Los Angeles, my shiny Mercedes, all my stuff, and my swagger. As you can imagine, at the time, I was really crushed.
Even before he joined the series Desperate Housewives to play Dave Williams, he had made himself clear that he wouldn’t be doing any kissing or s*x scenes with Nicollette Sheridan. Not just in this series, he also explained his religious boundaries to Steven Spielberg when he was cast in Boomtown.
The actor was adamant about his decision, but such a huge step down disappointed him. He then turned to alcohol to ease his pain and frustration. McDonough added that he turned to God and “begged for his forgiveness.” But soon things started changing for the actor, and Hollywood writer Graham Yost offered him a project titled Justified.
You can stream Yellowstone on Peacock and buy it on Apple TV.
