By Kayla DeKraker
Actor Neal McDonough’s marriage to Ruvé Robertson, his wife of 22 years, always comes first, even at the expense of Hollywood roles.
“I’d always had in my contracts I wouldn’t kiss another woman on-screen,” McDonough shared on the “Nothing Left Unsaid” podcast with Tim Green. “My wife didn’t have any problem with it. It was me, really, who had a problem with it…When I wouldn’t do it, and they couldn’t understand it. Hollywood just completely turned on me. They wouldn’t let me be part of the show anymore.”
He resumé boasts some impressive titles, including BAND OF BROTHERS, MINORITY REPORT and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER.
Holding to his morals came at a price, though.
“For two years, I couldn’t get a job and I lost everything you could possibly imagine,” he explained. “Not just houses and material 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.”
One time, McDonough was fired for refusing to do an intimate scene. He faced a lawsuit but said he’d go through that difficult experience again if he had to.
“Would I like to go through that pain again? No, I wouldn’t. Thank you very much, sir…But if I had to, I would, because I knew I did the right thing for my marriage.”
He continued, “I knew I did the right thing for him [God], and I knew I did the right thing for me, really deep down inside, in my gut, I knew I did the right thing. So yeah, sometimes pain is the right thing to go through.”
Recently, he starred in THE LAST RODEO, where he shared his first on-screen kiss — with his wife.
“To actually play the hero and kiss the girl in the end is something that I’ve never done but something that I’ve always wanted to do my whole career,” he shared in a video.
McDonough continues to honor his wife through all his career decisions. Two weeks ago, the actor shared a sweet post on Instagram to celebrate Ruvé’s birthday.
“Happy birthday to the greatest thing I’ve ever met,” he began. “The person that not only changed my life imeasurably, but changed the lives for our five children that we share! The blessing that you are to all of us is something that I cannot explain in words! I love you to the moon and back times infinity my love! Happy birthday!”
While the actor’s career hasn’t been easy, he’s lived out Romans 12:2, which says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
McDonough doesn’t follow the ways of this world but holds firm to his God-honoring convictions, prioritizing his wife and family no matter what.
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