Former ‘Yellowstone’ Star, 59, Explains the Extreme Reason Hollywood Turned on Him

Neal McDonough has garnered fan appreciation for roles in Yellowstone and Suits, but the actor has recently explained that it was not always smooth sailing. On the podcast, Nothing Left Unsaid, McDonough informed listeners as to why he may not be as prolific as he once was. According to him, he was blacklisted in Hollywood due to a stipulation in his contract that he would not be filmed kissing anyone.

“I’d always had in my contracts that 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. When I wouldn’t do it and they couldn’t understand it, Hollywood just completely turned on me and they wouldn’t let me be part of the show anymore.”

The Minority Report actor has been married to Ruvé Robertson since 2003, and they share five children together. McDonough has identified as being religious in the past, which also gives clarity to his decision. This came to a head in one particular series that the actor did not name, but he further explained that it impacted his career for the next two years. Only when he was cast in Justified did his luck start to change. Since then, he can be found in Taylor Sheridan’s monopoly on Westerns on Paramount.

Neal McDonough Has Gained Success as a Highly Popular ‘Yellowstone’ Villain

Neal McDonough found a second life partly due to the popularity of Westerns. Justified was FX’s crack at the modern Western, and his contribution to Taylor Sheridan’s franchise was widely appreciated. McDonough appeared in Yellowstone Season 2 as Malcolm Beck, one of the Duttons’ most insidious villains. The Duttons are always fighting against the current of modern life, trying to take what is theirs, but the Beck Brothers were one antagonist that truly gave the ranching empire a run for their money. Some of their more terrible methods of getting the Dutton ranch included torturing Beth (Keilly Reilly), poisoning the cattle, and kidnapping John Dutton’s (Kevin Costner) grandson.

Tragically, Malcolm Beck only lasted for six episodes, and later seasons didn’t quite live up to the threat of the two brothers. Even so, McDonough continued on with the Sheridan brand in his follow-up series, Tulsa King. Despite his reservations about what he is willing to put on film, the actor has still found a way to make the later years of his career work. Viewers can watch McDonough in some of the best episodes of Yellowstone on Peacock.