Neal McDonough, a Christian actor who has appeared in dozens of TV shows over the years, claims he has lost roles because he won’t be intimate onscreen with women who are not his wife.

When [Neal] McDonough first decided to pursue acting, he made the importance of his faith abundantly clear. Since the very beginning of his 30-year acting career, he has openly shown his utter dedication to his wife, model Ruve Robertson. McDonough’s commitment is so strong that he refuses to act in love or sex or scenes. “I won’t kiss any other woman because these lips are meant for one woman,” McDonough says of his wife, the mother to his five children. This moral policy, while honorable, has cost McDonough his job. … While his experience on the show [Desperate Housewives] may have been pleasant, McDonough has faced many other situations that went the complete opposite. McDonough was lined up to star in ABC’s 2010 TV series “Scoundrels.” But three days into filming, he was abruptly replaced because of his refusal to perform any of the steamy sex scenes with co-star Virginia Madsen. McDonough lost up to one million dollars when he forfeited his spot on the show. This also substantially injured his reputation in the entire show business industry… Per McDonough, “It was a horrible situation for me. 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.”

While McDonough’s commitment to his values is admirable, there is no rule in Hollywood that you can only find work if you take sexually charged roles. (In fact, Sex and the City stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis had no nudity clauses in their contracts, which clearly didn’t get in the way of that show’s success.) There’s also no rule that says you have to be hired if you refuse to do what the writers and directors want — intimate scenes are rarely surprises for actors in various roles.

Interestingly, for a guy who refuses to kiss a co-star because it goes against his Christian values, he appears to have had no problem with his character on Desperate Housewives killing off his wife.

So kissing is not okay… but violence is?

(Screenshot via YouTube)

