Neal McDonough Says Hollywood Turned Its Back on Him Because He Refused to Kiss Co-Stars: “I Was in a Big Ugly Tail Spin for a Couple Years”

Neal McDonough, known for shows like Yellowstone and Suits, recently opened up about a tough time in his career. On the podcast Nothing Left Unsaid, he revealed that his choice to never kiss co-stars on screen caused Hollywood to “completely turn on” him.

McDonough explained that he always included a no-kiss clause in his contracts. He said, “My wife didn’t really have a problem with it. It was me really who had a problem. 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.’” He has been married to Ruve McDonough since 2003, and they have three children.

Because of this rule, McDonough said he couldn’t get acting jobs for about two years. “Intimacy is a whole different thing for me. So, when I wouldn’t do it and they couldn’t understand it, Hollywood just completely turned on me and they wouldn’t let me be part of the show anymore,” he said.

This period cost him not only work but also his confidence. “I lost everything you could possibly imagine. Not just houses and material things, but your swagger, your cool, who you are, your identity, everything,” McDonough added. He described how much being an actor meant to his identity.

Though he didn’t say exactly when this happened, McDonough has appeared in many projects over the years. His recent work includes The Last Rodeo, Homestead, Walking Tall, and Yellowstone.

During the interview, he shared how hard this time was for him. He said, “I was in a big ugly tail spin for a couple years. And it still took me a couple years, thereafter, to kind of break the habit of ‘Am I really in the show or this is just kind of a part-time thing?’ ‘They kind of letting me back in. I’m not so sure.’ And I drink more. I never drink during the set. […] I didn’t feel like that I was doing the right things or something was just just wasn’t clicking.”

McDonough credits his wife for helping him get through this dark time. She encouraged him to “go to church daily,” and after he started attending, he stopped drinking and things started to improve. He told Closer Weekly that getting cast as a villain on Justified by Graham Yost helped him get back on track.

He only broke his no-kissing rule once, for the film The Last Rodeo. His character had to kiss his recently deceased wife, and McDonough convinced Ruve to play that role.

Now, at 59, McDonough says he is busier than ever and feels more clear about his work than before. He told the podcast hosts Tim and Troy Green, “I, at 59 years old, I’m more busy than I’ve ever been in my whole life because I have this clarity.”

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