Neal McDonough, seen in Band of Brothers, Minority Report, and Western series such as Yellowstone and Tulsa King, has addressed his recent distancing from the industry. Despite some prominent roles in big productions from Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg, McDonough’s career has taken a hit; today, he’s mostly featured in smaller projects, but it isn’t for lack of trying. The actor says that due to one of his contractual requests, “Hollywood turned on him.” The specific request? If the script includes a moment of intimacy, he refuses to participate with anyone who isn’t his wife.
McDonough was recently invited to Nothing Left Unsaid, the podcast hosted by Troy and Tim Green whose previous guests include industry figures like Nic Pizzolatto. McDonough talked about his career, his faith, and getting “blackballed” over the contraction stipulation mentioned above, saying, “It was very difficult, that’s for sure, to go through what I went through. I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. I felt no one could kind of grasp what I was all about and who I was. I thought that Hollywood just completely turned on me and never wanted to invite me back to the dance again.” The Legends of Tomorrow star continued:
“I’d always had in my contracts that I wouldn’t kiss another woman onscreen. My wife didn’t have any problem with it. It was me, really, who had a problem with it.
“When I couldn’t do it, and they couldn’t understand it, Hollywood just completely turned on me. They wouldn’t let me be part of the show anymore. For two years, I couldn’t get a job and I lost everything you could possibly imagine. Not just houses and material things, but your swagger, your cool, who you are, your identity — everything. My identity was an actor, and a really good one. And once you don’t have that identity, you’re kind of lost in a tailspin.”
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Neal McDonough Has Been Able to Continue His Career in Indie Movies
Even though McDonough’s career momentum slowed, it wasn’t exactly the end. He’s continued to work on major television series like Yellowstone, 9-1-1: Lone Star, and Tulsa King. His work in movies is mostly in indie productions, a few of which were released by Angel Studios, the production company that’s been shrouded in controversy since it backed the feature film Sound of Freedom.
McDonough is a very religious man, and it’s not a coincidence that he’s worked a couple of times with a studio that’s been associated with conservative Christian values. His films Homestead and The Last Rodeo were distributed by Angel, and it was the latter that saw McDonough finally kissing an onscreen character again. McDonough agreed only because his wife, Ruvé McDonough, signed on to star in the film (she plays the role of Rose Wainright). The film was directed by Jon Avnet, producer of films such as The Three Musketeers, George of the Jungle, and Up Close & Personal. McDonough was also heavily involved in the script, which was co-written by Avnet and Derek Presley.