Faithwire
  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • News
  • Politics
  • Coronavirus Updates
  • Faith
  • Opinion
  • Christmas
  • Set Free Course

Actor Pleaded With God When Standing By His Convictions Cost Him Jobs. Here’s What He Quickly Realized

Neal McDonough (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Share Tweet
By Billy Hallowell
Editor

April 11, 2022

Actor Neal McDonough has always been candid about his faith, his moral parameters when it comes to filming, and the acting drought he believes he faced in 2010 as a result of his religious views.

But McDonough, 56, recently told Fox News how his faith guided him through those struggles and helped him land on the other side.

Listen to the latest episode of the Faithwire podcast 👇

“There was a time when I wasn’t working. I couldn’t get a job because people thought I was this crazy religious guy,” he said. “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.”

McDonough, who is Catholic, famously alleged he was fired in 2010 from the show “Scoundrels” for his refusal to do sex scenes. But his filming parameters weren’t a new policy, as the actor also doesn’t kiss others on screen and had reportedly long been open about that fact.

Still, “The Band of Brothers” star believes his unwillingness to do these scenes eventually had a negative impact on his career, and he told Fox News he found himself frustrated and pleading with God.

“I remember falling to my knees and saying, ‘God, why have you forgotten about me? Why am I being punished so much?” McDonough said. “And as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I realized what self-absorbed questions those were.”

The actor realized God had given him a lot in life and that he should have, instead, been overtaken by gratitude.

“We all experience challenges in our lives,” he told Fox News. I should be grateful — and thankful — for all the blessings I’m given.”

He said he received a phone call a few minutes after that prayer and was offered a role on “Justified.” From there, the jobs came back and “everything was kind of forgotten,” McDonough said.

The actor said he’s grateful to God for all he has in his life and career. Read more of his comments here.

As Faithwire previously reported, this isn’t the first time McDonough has addressed these issues. He told Closer Weekly about the “Scoundrels” issue a few years back, describing his apparent Hollywood drought that followed as “hard.”

“It was a horrible situation for me. After that, I couldn’t get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot,” he said. “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.”

Despite the difficulties McDonough faced, he should be commended for standing strong in his convictions in an industry that typically doesn’t reward such behavior.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

Latest

  • News

    ‘Miracle’ Landing: Florida Pilot Passes Out — Passenger with No Flight Experience Takes Over with ‘Hand of God’

  • Entertainment

    Marvel’s ‘Scarlet Witch’ Actress Reveals Her Real-Life Connections to Witchcraft, Says She’s ‘Witchy’

  • News

    ‘A Psychological Prison’: Taliban’s Latest Demand Leaves Women in Tears as Afghanistan Reels in Poverty, Desperation

  • News

    New Warner/Discovery President ‘Un-Cancels’ JK Rowling After She Was Sidelined for Defending Women Amid Transgender Craze

  • Life

    ‘A God Thing’: They Adopted a Severely Handicapped Baby Despite Doctors’ Warnings, and It Changed Everything


Navigation

  • Watch
  • Go!
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Sign up to get our newsletter your inbox every day.

Newsletter Signup

Do you want to read
more articles like this?