Actor Neal McDonough has opened up about one of the darkest phases of his personal and professional life. Sitting down for an interview, the 60-year-old actor recalled how his refusal to perform romantic or intimate scenes on screen led to him being banned in Hollywood.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, discussing the upcoming Jimmy biopic, the 60-year-old actor said he was labelled a “religious nut” after he declined to kiss a co-star. The actor has repeatedly said his faith and family come before his career and this decision ultimately cost him work, financial stability, and even his home.
Best known for his performances in Band of Brothers, Minority Report and Desperate Housewives, McDonough reflected on the aftermath of being removed from the ABC drama Scoundrels in 2010. According to the actor, the incident severely damaged his reputation in the entertainment industry.
“What time is the bar open? That was generally my thought process back then,” McDonough said. “Fired from a show because I wouldn’t kiss a woman. No one would hire me because they thought I was this religious nut bag, which is that I love my wife so much. And no one can understand it, no one could understand it.”
The actor also detailed the financial and emotional toll that followed as work opportunities disappeared.
“I lost the house, lost the cars, lost everything,” he admitted, adding that his drinking problem worsened during the period when he felt blacklisted in the industry.
Luke Perry Offered A Helping Hand
During the difficult phase, McDonough said late actor Luke Perry stepped in to help his family by allowing them to stay at his home after they lost theirs.
The actor said he struggled deeply with feelings of failure towards his wife, Ruvé Robertson, and their five children. However, after self-reflection and encouragement from his wife, he realised he needed to shift his focus towards faith and family rather than personal success.
McDonough Credits Wife For Showing The Correct Path
He credited his wife Robertson aka Ruve, whom he first met in 2000 and has been married to for 25 years, for helping him overcome alcoholism.
“She grabbed me and said, ‘It’s us or the bottle, you choose,’” he recalled, adding that he “never looked back.”
He went on to say, “It’s just a cold, hard fact that God gave me an amazing, incredible, most amazing woman that I’ve ever met. I can talk forever about it, but she’s my good luck charm, and she got through hell, and now here I am, in a fantastic place in life where we’re producing movies together. And I can’t tell you how amazing that feels.”
The couple now work together as producing partners and have collaborated on projects including Boon, The Warrant: Breaker’s Law, Homestead and The Last Rodeo.
“I am one lucky and blessed dude: Neal McDonough’
McDonough also spoke about his experience working on Jimmy, a film based on the life of legendary actor James Stewart. He said learning about Stewart’s struggles after returning from World War II deeply resonated with him.
“Now, after producing the Jimmy story and playing Jimmy Stewart’s dad and immersing myself in the world of Jimmy…to know what Jimmy Stewart had gone through just previously in World War II, and had already won the Academy Award for Mr. Smith, to come back after World War II and think, well, what am I going to do now in life?” he said.
“Ruve and I got to see who Jimmy Stewart was, read all about Jimmy, what he had gone through,” McDonough said, praising actor KJ Apa for his portrayal in the film. “I am one lucky and blessed dude to be part of it.”
