On the television show “Desperate Housewives,” Neal McDonough played Dave Williams, the fair-haired husband of Nicollette Sheridan’s character Edie Britt. McDonough is undoubtedly tremendously out-of-date and might even be seen as a prudish actor, despite having started in the infamously pornographic show.
McDonough flatly declines to engage in any on-screen canoodling or physical contact beyond handholding. The actor explained to reporters his bizarre stance by saying, “I won’t kiss any other woman because these lips are meant for one woman.” McDonough’s wife, Ruvé McDonough, whom he wed in 2003, is the fortunate woman.
McDonough’s no-kissing policy may be beneficial for his marriage, but it has occasionally had terrible effects on his job. Fortunately, he was hired by “Desperate Housewives” before showrunner Marc Cherry understood the breadth of McDonough’s extremely detailed rule book. When Marc Cherry signed me, I said, “I’m sure you know, but I won’t kiss anybody,” he recalled, recalling their discussions over the part. The two men decided to find a solution to avoid intimate moments and sex scenes. McDonough repeated the conversation with Cherry in an interview, “But this is Desperate Housewives! he said. I remarked, “I know.” After pausing for around five seconds, he continued, “All well, I’ll simply have to write better.” And that was a lot of fun.”
Although Cherry was ready and able to find a way to get past McDonough’s claim, other authors weren’t as understanding. He remembered the difficulty he had in locating consistent employment and remarked, “It was a bad circumstance for me.
McDonough said, citing Hollywood’s response to his unique request as per Entertainment Tonight “After that, I was unable to find employment since I was viewed as a zealous religious fanatic by everyone. I follow a strict religion. I aspire to live by that. It was challenging for a while.”
Graham Yost eventually did, however, offer him a part on “Justified.” Since the two men collaborated on the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers,” Yost believed he could get around McDonough’s prohibition. When recalled, McDonough stated, “I knew that was my shot back at the crown.” He was cast in the Western crime drama.
Having experienced some difficulty in his career, McDonough saw the post as a chance to put forth meaningful effort and not waste time. As he reflected, “I think my acting grew so much better because I genuinely appreciated it. “I was hit in the chin, but I wasn’t going to go down easily. And it succeeded. Since then, my career has been outstanding.”
His marriage has endured even as his profession has advanced. McDonough said of his wife, “Nearly 20 years, five children, and just one heck of an unbelievable life later, to have her as my partner in everything, I’m simply the most blessed guy I know. Without her, I most definitely would not be speaking with you right now.”
McDonough then declared, referring to the gift of both his family and his career, “I’m not going to waste it.” “I just am what I am. I enjoy working, and I have a wonderful wife and five children.”
Despite the demands of an acting career, the actor went on to praise his family and the role he sees for himself in society “I want to be certain that I’m looking after everyone. I’m going to follow in my father’s footsteps and do what he did.”
When McDonough was abruptly sacked from the ABC series “Scoundrels” in 2010, he had encountered substantial challenges. Despite the fact that the show only had one season, McDonough insists that his unwillingness to participate in sex scenes led to his dismissal, endangering both his family and his acting career.
McDonough has gone on to play President Dwight D. Eisenhower in “American Horror Story: Double Feature” and the villainous billionaire Malcolm Beck in “Yellowstone” since getting his second chance at fame with “Justified,” though.
Even if it seems like a lot of sacrifice to do all in the name of honoring your wife, McDonough and his partner do have a unique love story. When McDonough was filming for “Band of Brothers” in England, the two met. They allegedly “literally bumped into each other on the street, locked eyes, and that was it” on the St. Patrick’s Day evening he was there. The following morning, I called the woman I was dating at the time and apologized for the breakup since I had just met the person I would wed. The actor recalled the incident with warmth.
Even though he might not take home the MTV Award for Best Kiss, McDonough certainly deserves recognition for being a committed family man.
