What did Neal McDonough say about kissing women on screen? Incident explored as actor says he has been blacklisted from Hollywood

On Wednesday, July 30, Neal McDonough was a guest on the Nothing Left Unsaid podcast, where the actor opened up about the dark time of his career in Hollywood. According to Mirror US, the Guns & Moses actor told Tim and Tryo Green that he was blacklisted from Hollywood over one clause of his contract, saying:

"I always had my contracts that I wouldn’t kiss another woman on screen. My wife didn’t really have a problem with it, it was me who really had a problem with it. When I wouldn’t do it, they couldn’t understand it."

McDonough continued:

"For two years, I couldn’t get a job and I lost everything you can possibly imagine. Not just houses and materialistic 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."

The actor also revealed on the podcast that the stress of his professional life laid the path for his "big drinking problem."

McDonough also spoke about having to spend time away from his family due to work, saying:

"I’m blessed because I have my wife, and she’s incredible at organizing all kinds of amazing things. So when I’m away, I’m away. But there’s a lot of FaceTime. After a few days, the kids get tired of it. That’s why I have a rule of one week max. I have to come back after a week or else I start to get cranky."

Per the media outlet, Neal McDonough is married to Ruvé Robertson. Neal met the South African model in the UK while he was shooting for Band of Brothers. The two fell in love soon afterwards, tying the knot in 2003. The couple has five children together.

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Neal McDonough shared that he lost 32 lbs for his 2025 movies

Neal McDonough's revelation about being blacklisted by Hollywood over not wanting to kiss women on-screen comes days after the actor sat down with US Weekly for an exclusive interview.

In the interview, McDonough opened up about his significant weight loss, almost 32 pounds, for his roles in upcoming movies, Skill House, and The Last Rodeo. In the latter (released on May 23), the actor plays Joe Wainwright, a man returning to bull riding in his 50s.

Speaking about the character, the 59-year-old told the outlet:

"If I’m gonna be that Clint Eastwood type of guy where there is this beaten down cowboy [and] something happens in his life where he has to come back and has another shot at finding himself and doing the right thing and being a great grandfather, being great dad, and being all those things, I figured he would always be this physical presence and he would always be in shape."

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Neal McDonough also mentioned a health and wellness company, Flip My Life, for helping him lose the stubborn weight he couldn't shed for years. In his new avatar, the actor has reduced from 210 to 187 lbs.

Edited by pratigya dhali