Neal McDonough starred in the hit show back in 2019
Yellowstone actor Neal McDonough recently revealed that his decision to refuse on-screen kisses with anyone other than his wife nearly cost him his Hollywood career.
During an interview on the Nothing Left Unsaid podcast, the 59-year-old shared details of his marriage and how his relationship ultimately affected his acting work. “I’d always had in my contracts that I wouldn’t kiss another woman on screen,” he admitted to the podcast hosts Tim Green and Troy Green.
© Getty ImagesNeal starred as Malcolm Beck in six episodes of the hit show in 2019, including The Reek of Desperation, Only Devils Left, Blood the Boy, Resurrection Day, Behind Us Only Grey and, Sins of the Father.
The actor clarified that his decision to avoid kissing his co-stars was entirely his own, not influenced by his wife, Ruve McDonough. The couple tied the knot back in 2003 and share five children.
“My wife didn’t have any problem with it – it was me, really, who had a problem with it,” he added.
However, that personal boundary ultimately led to Hollywood producers no longer casting him. “When I wouldn’t do it… they couldn’t understand,” he shared.
“Hollywood just completely turned on me, and they wouldn’t let me be part of the show anymore.”
He continued: “For two years, I couldn’t get a job and I lost everything you could possibly imagine.”
© Paramount/Kobal/ShutterstockNeal’s two-year stretch without work took a toll both personally and financially. “Not just houses [and] material things, but your swagger, your cool, who you are, your identity – everything,” he said.
“My identity was an actor, and a really good one.”
The star shared that the setback deeply affected his self-confidence and lingered for a long time before his career began to recover. “Once you don’t have that identity, you’re kind of lost in a tailspin,” he confessed.
© Getty Images“And I was in a big, ugly tailspin for a couple of years.”
Neal has also starred in major movies, including Star Trek: First Contact, Red 2, and Guns & Moses. He also portrayed Lynn ‘Buck’ Compton in HBO’s war drama Band of Brothers. Most recently, he took on the role of Joe Wainwright in The Last Rodeo, a feature film in which he was also credited as a writer. Neal’s wife starred as Rose Wainwright in the movie.
The Yellowstone actor was born in Boston, while his wife is a South African native who began her career in modeling and film production.
