Actor Neal McDonough is on a mission to live out his values in Hollywood.
McDonough’s new film, “The Last Rodeo,” hitting theaters May 23, was birthed from an idea the actor believes God put in his heart.
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While starring in “The Warrant,” a 2020 Western, McDonough found himself crippled by an idea: What would happen if he ever lost his beloved wife, Ruve? How would he survive and process it?
“And that was kind of the genesis of the the thought process of this film,” he said of “The Last Rodeo,” noting the inspiration for a bull-riding movie came from the Lord. “And then a gift came from above.”
McDonough continued, “So where did that thought come from? I knew nothing about bull riding, and then, within 24 hours, I came up with kind of an outline for the film.”
“Within a week, we had the first draft on,” he said. “And a week later, we had it sold. This is His divine intervention that … two years from the idea, it’s going to be in the theater.”
“The Last Rodeo” offers up a powerful narrative.
“A retired rodeo legend risks it all to save his grandson,” a description reads. “Facing his own painful past and the fears of his family, he enters a high-stakes bull-riding competition as the oldest contestant ever. Along the way, he reconciles old wounds with his estranged daughter and proves that true courage is found in the fight for family.”
It’s the sort of film that offers an introspective message to the masses — the kind of movie for which McDonough has become known. The actor said he has enjoyed creating such content as he continues honing his craft decades after entering Hollywood.
“If you’re blessed enough in life to find something you’re really great at, and I tell my kids this all the time, if you find something you love doing, do it to the best of your ability,” he said. “Don’t compete against anybody else. Just do it the best that you can for his glory, and if you can keep doing that, you won’t worry about money — you won’t worry about stuff because you’re going to be enjoying your life, and you’re gonna be doing something you want to go to work at every day … and knock it out of the ball yard.”
Despite achieving widespread success in Hollywood, McDonough said it hasn’t always been easy, with the actor getting “beat up” for some of his stances.
One of the biggest reasons he made a media splash was for his longstanding policy of declining to kiss castmates, something that caught attention during his time on the TV show “Desperate Housewives.”
“I wouldn’t kiss a woman on that show years ago,” McDonough said. “And then I got blackballed.”
He continued, “I lost my house, and I lost everything — cars, you name it. I went bankrupt.”
McDonough said he ended up with a “massive drinking problem,” spending two years consuming alcohol to cope with not being able to land a job.
Despite those challenges, McDonough said he’s glad he stuck by his convictions. Ultimately, he had to decide what he’d do next – and he has since filtered those energies into making films that matter like “The Last Rodeo.” Eventually, his career came roaring back.
“It has come back tenfold,” McDonough said. “Now, I’m in the position where God has given me the gift of — Ruve and I are about to produce our eleventh production in four years. How does that happen? That wouldn’t have happened 10, 15 years ago. I had to be called really to my faith.”
A lot of this success hinged on some important questions about faith and belief, particularly in God’s goodness, love, and sovereignty. With the Lord, the actor believes anything is possible.
“He’s always there for us,” McDonough said.” We’re not always there for him, but He’s always there for us.”
In the end, McDonough said telling stories is his absolute passion, but it’s his wife and kids that matter most. And, over the years, he’s learned to keep everything in perspective.
“I love just coming home to my wife and kids and being with my family,” he said. “That’s my life or we’re coaching them in sports or seeing my kids do well. The fame and fortune part, that’s the least interesting part to me of all of this. I love telling great stories. And now I get to tell great stories that entertain people — that give glory to God.”
Find out more about “The Last Rodeo.”
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