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This Actor Won't Take the Lord's Name in Vain on Camera: Neal McDonough Talks Faith and His New TV Series

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Actor Neal McDonough says there are still a few things he will not do in front of a camera – things that would violate his faith.

"I won't mention the Lord's name in vain, and then I won't kiss another woman," the 53-year-old recently told Fox News. "Sex scenes aren't in it for me. And I think, gosh, there's enough sex scenes out there and me being in my fifties I'm not sure if anyone wants to see me doing that stuff anyway, but it's a comfort level."

"I'm not very comfortable doing that," he continued. "And I guess that's probably why I play so many villainous characters, because I love acting, and I'm really good at it. It's a God-given talent, so for me to have a career, I have to figure out creatively and smartly and wisely how I can keep doing what I do."

McDonough, a devout follower of Christ, has appeared in several popular movies and TV series over the past several years, including Band of Brothers, Flags of Our Fathers, Minority Report, Desperate Housewives, and Justified.

Now he's starring in Season 2 of the History Channel series "Project Blue Book" which debuted last year. 

The series is based on the US Air Forces' real Project Blue Book which investigated UFOs from 1947 to 1970.  Aidan Gillen who recently starred in HBO's "Game of Thrones" portrays Dr. Allen Hynek, an astrophysicist from Ohio State University, who is a consultant to the Air Force on UFOs. McDonough stars as Gen. James Harding, an Air Force general determined to keep the existence of UFO's secret from the public. 

McDonough told Fox News his new show has sparked conversations among his family about aliens — something he wouldn't necessarily be able to do with other current shows while keeping his kids engaged. He's been married to model Ruvé Robertson for 20 years.

"That's the great thing with my wife Ruvé and the kids — we get to do that," he noted. "That doesn't happen very often on television these days, because generally, the shows are either comic book shows — which I love, and I've been a part of… Or really adult-themed shows, kind of dark stuff. This gets us to talk about, is there something else out there and what is the meaning of life for all of us? And I think… to be able to do that is really wonderful. And I'm so blessed to be part of History because they're doing an amazing job with it."

The actor also revealed that his character's faith will also be tested in Season 2. You can read about that in the Fox News article.

As CBN News has reported, even with his success, McDonough found out quickly that taking a stand as a Christian in Hollywood can cost you. 

He made headlines in 2019 when he revealed to Closer Weekly that his "no love scenes" policy cost him a role in the ABC primetime series "Scoundrels" back in 2010. 

Dedicated to his wife, he said "no" to doing sex scenes with actress Virginia Madsen. It was a move that reportedly cost him $1 million, according to Deadline.com. McDonough says his firing also labeled him as a religious zealot in tinsel town for several years. 

"I was surprised, and it was a horrible situation for me," he told the magazine. "After that, I couldn't get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot. 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."

"I won't kiss any other woman because these lips are meant for one woman," McDonough told the outlet about his wife and the mother of his five children. 

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of