Veteran Hollywood actor Neal McDonough has revealed how his steadfast personal values and unwavering commitment to his marriage led to a dramatic fallout with the entertainment industry. In a candid interview on the Nothing Left Unsaid podcast released Wednesday, McDonough said his decision to refuse kissing or performing intimate scenes with women other than his wife, Ruvé McDonough, led to him being blacklisted in Hollywood.

Boundaries on Set: A Personal Choice Rooted in Conviction

The Band of Brothers and Yellowstone star explained that he always included a clause in his acting contracts that prohibited him from participating in romantic or physical scenes with other actresses. While many in Hollywood saw this as unusual, for McDonough, it was a deeply personal decision anchored in his commitment to family, marriage, and faith.

“I always had in my contracts that I wouldn’t kiss another woman on screen,” he said during the podcast. “My wife didn’t have a problem with it. It was me. I didn’t want to put her through that. I knew we were about to have kids, and I didn’t want to put my kids through that either.”

Hollywood’s Backlash and Career Consequences

However, McDonough’s moral stance came at a steep price. He shared that Hollywood executives and producers often couldn’t understand or accept his refusal to participate in romantic scenes. As a result, he was quietly removed from projects and found himself unable to land new roles.

“When I wouldn’t do it and they couldn’t understand it, Hollywood just completely turned on me,” he recalled. “They wouldn’t let me be part of the show anymore. And for two years, I couldn’t get a job. I lost everything—houses, material things, your swagger, your cool, your identity, everything.”

McDonough revealed that one of the most defining moments of his career came when he was asked to wear a “modesty sock” during a simulated sex scene for a television role. He flatly refused.

“They said, ‘Well, unless you do it, we’re going to have to replace you.’ I said, ‘Well, then replace me, because I’m not going to do it.’ And they fired me,” he said, noting that this decision triggered legal issues.

A Moment of Despair: “I Thought My Career Was Over”

Following the firing, McDonough described a moment of reflection while flying home from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Looking out over the desert, he had the painful realization that his Hollywood career may have been permanently derailed.

“I remember flying over the desert and thinking, ‘I’d have a better chance of surviving down there than surviving when I land in Hollywood.’ And I was right,” he said.

Despite the difficult fallout, McDonough said he never wavered in his belief that he had made the right decision—for his marriage, for himself, and for his relationship with God.

“I knew I did the right thing for my marriage. I knew I did the right thing for God. And I knew I did the right thing for me,” he affirmed.

Previous Controversy: Fired Over Intimacy Clause in 2010

McDonough’s conservative approach to acting made headlines in 2010 when he was reportedly fired from the ABC series Scoundrels for refusing to perform intimate scenes. At the time, he said the industry labeled him a “religious zealot,” a stigma that followed him and made casting directors hesitant to work with him.

“I was labeled difficult. Everybody thought I was this religious nut,” he told Closer Weekly in 2019.

A Comeback Through Integrity and Talent

After years of struggling to find work, McDonough got his break again thanks to Band of Brothers producer Graham Yost, who offered him a role in the FX crime drama Justified. That role marked the beginning of what McDonough now calls his comeback—one that allowed him to remain true to his principles while continuing to build his career.

Since then, he has appeared in various television and film projects while continuing to prioritize roles that align with his values.

The Last Rodeo: A Family Affair

McDonough’s latest project, The Last Rodeo, marks a full-circle moment in his career. Not only does he star in the film, but he also wrote and directed it. In a twist that perfectly encapsulates his approach to onscreen intimacy, he cast his real-life wife, Ruvé, as his romantic partner in the movie.

“Well, my wife is really hot. She is a good-looking woman, and everything else pales in comparison,” he joked. “It was financed. It was ready to go. And I said, ‘I am not doing the movie unless you play my wife.’ She said, ‘Well, I’m not an actor.’ I said, ‘Well, you are now. So let’s go.’”

Redefining Success in Hollywood on His Own Terms

Now 58, McDonough has managed to redefine what success means for him in Hollywood. Rather than chasing roles at any cost, he’s choosing projects that allow him to remain authentic, uphold his marriage vows, and maintain his spiritual integrity.

He continues to advocate for actors having the freedom to draw their own boundaries on set and believes that personal conviction shouldn’t be seen as a barrier to success.

In an industry often criticized for blurring ethical lines, Neal McDonough’s story stands out as a testament to staying true to one’s principles—even when it means facing rejection.

“I may have lost some roles, but I didn’t lose myself,” he said. “That’s a trade I’d make every time.”