From 'Homestead' to the decision that nearly destroyed his career — Neal McDonough spills all in Glenn Beck interview

Committed husband, father of five, devoted Christian, political conservative, and famous actor Neal McDonough is “a unicorn in our culture,” says Glenn Beck, who recently sat down for a lengthy interview with the actor/producer extraordinaire.

The pair talked about several of McDonough’s films and series, including “Yellowstone” and “Band of Brothers,” but a large portion of their conversation centered around Angel Studios’ latest film, “Homestead," which McDonough both starred in and produced.

Set in the remote mountains of Utah following the detonation of a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles, “Homestead” follows Ian Ross (McDonough’s character), an eccentric prepper, as he is forced to make incredibly difficult decisions as more and more people beg for refuge at his homestead.

McDonough told Glenn that he loves starring in films like this because it forces him to think about his own character.

“What happens to [Ross’] friends outside the gate? What happens to other people who are around him? ... As a man who professes to be a man of faith, how does he deal with that? How does he deal with having so much when people outside the gate have so little?” he said of his character.

The film “really brings us to question ourselves and our integrity. We call ourselves people of faith. Well, when push comes to shove, are we really? And that's what I love about this film,” he added.

On the subject of faith put to the test, Glenn then asked McDonough about the decision that nearly ended his career.

In 2010, McDonough, out of respect and love for his wife Ruve, refused to perform a sex scene with his co-star on the show “Scoundrels” and was fired as a result.

Glenn played an old clip of McDonough reflecting on this time of hardship: “I was blackballed for two years. I couldn't get a job, and because of that, I lost my big, beautiful house in Los Angeles, my shiny Mercedes, all my stuff, and my swagger. And as you can imagine, at the time, I was really crushed. They thought that I was some religious zealot, but to me it was just that I didn't think it was the right thing to do, and also I really love my wife.”

The bold decision, despite its initial consequences, proved to be one of the best things to ever happen to McDonough. His marriage is thriving, his career is booming, and his faith, having been put to the fire, is stronger than ever.

“It took going through being crucified to really understand what life is about,” he said. “Looking back at it, it was the second greatest thing that ever happened to me, other than meeting Ruve, and I'm really blessed to be in this position right now.”

To hear more of Glenn and McDonough’s conversation, including their shared struggles with alcoholism, McDonough’s perspective on how Hollywood is changing, what it’s like to work with legends like Sylvester Stallone and Kevin Costner, and how to live well when “fame and fortune are battery acid to the soul,” watch the episode above.

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