Neal McDonough, known for his roles in Suits and Yellowstone, has shared how his choice to refrain from kissing co-stars on screen impacted his career in Hollywood.
Throughout his extensive time in the entertainment industry, the 59-year-old actor has appeared in numerous popular productions, including Tulsa King, Band of Brothers, and Captain America: The First Avenger.
McDonough is married to Ruvé Robertson, whom he met in 2000 while working on Band of Brothers. At the time, Robertson was involved in public relations and modeling.
The couple married in 2003 and have since become parents to five children.
In a recent episode of the Nothing Left Unsaid podcast, McDonough explained that while Robertson was okay with him performing on-screen kisses, he personally did not feel at ease with being intimate with anyone other than his wife.
He stated: “I’d always had in my contracts I wouldn’t kiss another woman on-screen. My wife didn’t have any problem with it. It was me, really, who had a problem with it. I was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to put you through it. I know we’re going to start having kids and I don’t want to put my kids through it.’”
McDonough recounted conversations with industry peers who questioned his comfort with portraying violence but not intimacy. In response, he argued: “You’re not really killing anybody. Intimacy is a whole different thing.”
The actor disclosed that his stance led to confusion among producers, resulting in Hollywood turning its back on him.
He elaborated: “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.”
McDonough acknowledged that he experienced a rough period, during which he increased his alcohol consumption. His wife eventually urged him to return to church.
“Then when I stopped drinking, everything just kind of changed,” he noted. “Literally the clouds parted. I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t need this crutch. Oh, people are calling me. Oh, I am successful. Oh, I do like myself again. Okay, I am God’s child and I have a job to do. Stop wallowing in self-pity. Dust yourself off and go hit it hard.’
“And ever since that day, I’ve hit it as hard as possible. At 59 years old, I’m more busy than I’ve ever been in my whole life.”
Most recently, McDonough appeared in the drama The Last Rodeo, which premiered in theaters in May.