"I lost everything you could possibly imagine" - Yellowstone actor Neal McDonough reveals role rejections on refusing kissing scenes

Neal McDonough appeared on the Nothing Left Unsaid podcast on July 30, 2025, and opened up about losing several Hollywood projects due to his unwillingness to do kissing and intimate scenes onscreen. The Yellowstone actor explained the negative impact it had on his career by saying:

"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."

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Yellowstone star Neal McDonough experienced setbacks in his career due to his decision

The 59-year-old star further added that the no-kiss rule was his personal decision and didn't come from his wife, Ruvé Robertson. Neal McDonough married Ruvé, a South African model, in December 2003, after meeting her while filming Band of Brothers.

"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.'"

The couple shares five children together - sons Morgan (b. November 2005) and James (b. March 31, 2014) and daughters Catherine (b. May 14, 2007), London (b. January 11, 2010), and Clover (b. August 15, 2011).

Furthermore, Neal McDonough elaborated on how his decision limited him to playing bad guys onscreen as he couldn't be considered for romantic roles. Deadline reported on March 31, 2010, that the actor was recast after he refused to film s*x scenes in the ABC dramedy Scoundrels. His role as Wolfgang West was eventually played by David James Elliott.

He also added that the circumstances drove him to alcoholism, but he was able to overcome it with the help of his Christian faith and his family's support. However, the day after the interview on July 31, 2025, Neal and Ruvé released a joint statement to TMZ walking back his initial claim that "Hollywood turned on him." Ruvé said in part:

"Steven Spielberg loves Neal and we've done many films with Steven. The right people found Neal and put him in the right place. We want to continue doing incredible films with Neal, giving the right messages. We don’t want to say Hollywood turned. Guided us to where we are is what Hollywood did, and we want to say, 'Thank you, Hollywood.'"

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A look at Neal McDonough's decades-long career

Neal McDonough was born on February 13, 1966, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and honed his acting skills at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He rose to prominence in 2001 by playing Lieutenant Lynn 'Buck' Compton in the war drama miniseries, Band of Brothers. He also starred as Deputy D.A. David McNorris in NBC's Boomtown and Dr. Stephen Connor in Medical Investigation.

Moreover, the actor is also remembered for playing Dave Williams in Desperate Housewives, Malcolm Beck in Yellowstone, and Cal Thresher in Tulsa King. He also essayed the role of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower in season 10 of American Horror Story: Double Feature in 2021.

His film credits include Star Trek: First Contact, Sonic the Hedgehog, Minority Report, Guns & Moses, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, The Hitcher, Walking Tall, Flags of Our Fathers, etc.

McDonough made his debut in the Marvel Universe by starring as Timothy 'Dum Dum' Dugan in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011. He reprised his role in 2013's short film Agent Carter, and in television shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 2014, and Agent Carter in 2015. He also voiced the character in the animated series What If...? in 2021.

In 2025, Neal McDonough starred as Joe Wainwright in the drama film The Last Rodeo. He co-wrote the film alongside Derek Presley and director Jon Avnet. Ironically, he did break his no-kiss rule and filmed a kissing scene in the movie, but with his wife Ruvé, who appeared as his onscreen wife in the film.

Read more: Yellowstone spinoff The Dutton Ranch's release delayed, will now come out in 2026

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Stay tuned for more news and updates about films and television shows releasing in 2025.

Edited by Tiasha