Politics
‘Yellowstone’ Star Opens Up On Keeping His Faith In Liberal Hollywood
Neal McDonough, the acclaimed actor known for his roles in Yellowstone and starring in the upcoming Angel Studios film The Shift became the subject of a viral trend Tuesday following the re-release of a video by Blaze Media’s Chad Prather. During the clip, McDonough discussed the two-year-long Hollywood cancellation he suffered, simply for following his faith.
Prather, sharing a clip from Angel Studios‘ The Shift wrote Saturday, “Neal McDonough has been blacklisted in Hollywood for his values. He does a phenomenal job in The Shift. Check it out in theaters December 1st.”
Prather followed with a video of McDonough explaining his predicament, on Tuesday writing, “Neal McDonough is a great actor that’s been BLACKLISTED in Hollywood because of his values. Neal is finally getting his second chance with ‘The Shift.”
In a 2022 interview with Fox News, the actor told his story. As Fox reported, in 2010 he was fired three days into filming the ABC series “Scoundrels” after he refused to perform in on-screen sex scenes. Even though the show was a single-season run, he told the outlet that the damage was done, and he was blacklisted from the industry.
“There was a time when I wasn’t working,” McDonough, 56 at the time told Fox News.
“I couldn’t get a job because people thought I was this crazy religious guy. But that wasn’t the case. I love my wife, but I love my acting too. I was hopeful that, at some point, someone would give me a chance again.”
Curiously the contractual clause from the devout Catholic was hardly a new development. When he held a starring role from 2008-09 in “Desperate Housewives” he had a strict no-kissing rule that forced Marc Cherry, the shows creator to get inventive. He explained that once he married his wife Ruvé in 2003 his rule was strict, “I won’t kiss any other woman because these lips are meant for one woman.”
But after the “Scoundrels” debacle, work for McDonough dried up completely. He told Fox he had “a hard few years,” trying to find word while holding true to his faith.
“I remember falling to my knees and saying, ‘God, why have you forgotten about me? Why am I being punished so much?’ he explained. “And as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I realized what self-absorbed questions those were. God has given me so much. We all experience challenges in our lives. I should be grateful – and thankful – for all the blessings I’m given.”
As Pureflix noted, the actor now a father of five told reporters that his faith carried him through the difficult time and that it wasn’t long until a friend offered him guest role on the western crime drama “Justified,” a two-episode run turned into a 13-episode arc, and Neal was back.
“I’ve been working so much in the last several years, and I couldn’t be more thankful,” he said. “I thank God every day for all the blessings I’m given, even during challenging times.”
Now that he’s returned to his ‘bad guy’ roots as ‘The Benefactor’ in The Shift, we’re likely to see McDonough’s faith as well as his acting chops shine through as he gives audiences a devilish turn in what Angel Studios described as “a mysterious stranger with otherworldly powers.”
The Shift is set to release on December 1st=
https://youtu.be/fozskMtdwI8
