How Hollywood Punished Actor Neal McDonough for Taking a Stand.


Neal McDonough and his wife, Ruvé Robertson
You may not be able to recall this actor's name, but you would probably immediately recognize Neal McDonough's face. He's appeared in several popular movies and television series over the past several years, including Band of Brothers, Flags of Our Fathers, Minority Report, Desperate Housewives, and Justified.

But even with his success, he found out quickly that taking a stand as a Christian in Hollywood can cost you. In an exclusive interview with Closer Weekly, McDonough, 52, reveals that his "no love scenes" policy cost him a role on the ABC primetime series "Scoundrels" back in 2010. Dedicated to his wife, model Ruvé Robertson, he said "no" to doing sex scenes with actress Virginia Madsen. It was a move that reportedly cost him $1 million, according to Deadline.com. McDonough says his firing also labeled him as a religious zealot in tinsel town for several years.

"I was surprised, and it was a horrible situation for me," he told the magazine. "After that, I couldn't get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot. I am very religious. I put God and family first, and me second. That's what I live by. It was hard for a few years."