Actor Neal McDonough, known for playing a villain in most projects he takes on, said his latest role as the devil showed him how God has blessed him. McDonough is starring in a new Angel Studios action and sci-fi movie, “The Shift.” Though he typically plays the bad guy or villain, it’s the first time he’s played the devil.
A synopsis of the film states that “The Shift” follows a man named Kevin, played by Kristoffer Polaha, “who finds himself in a dystopian world confronted by a mysterious stranger known as ‘The Benefactor,’ played by McDonough, who presents him with a challenge as he fights to shift realities and return to the woman he loves.”
“Kevin will face off with the devil in a way that exposes his tricks and his lies by shining a light that cuts through all that darkness,” an overview of the film posted to the film’s funding page reads. “Kevin will be presented with concrete temptations most of us can relate to, and we’ll see how his choices alter the world around him.”
In a video interview with The Christian Post, McDonough said this film is “the first time I’ve played the devil.” While he initially decided he couldn’t play the devil, his wife, Ruve, convinced him to reconsider. He recalled, “She’s like: ‘You look perplexed; what’s wrong?” The couple prayed over and discussed the offered role, with Ruve asking, “Who’s a better villain in this town than you?” She also asked him, “What guy like you, who’s a villain, also has an amazing relationship with God?” McDonough responded, “I don’t know, probably not many.”
After thinking about it, McDonough accepted the role and is happy that he did. He said, “I’m so grateful that she convinced me to do it because when you play characters like this, you learn so much about yourself and how blessed I am to have His (God’s) backing in everything that I do, to have all the gifts that God’s given me in my life. My amazing wife, five kids, the movies and TV shows, everything!”
McDonough explained, “We all at times have a very mean person in us, all of us; we’re all human. There was only one person who was perfect, and everyone else has been trying. And the harder you try, the more the devil will tempt you with stuff.”
Playing the devil also gave the father of five a new perspective. He said, “When I get to play a character like this, that’s the devil; I got to learn so much about myself, about how blessed I really am in my life.” McDonough continued, “It’s hard to explain what goes through your mind as a method actor when you play the devil. So I tried to make him as human as possible,” adding that he took direction from the creators of “The Shift” to create his character.
McDonough said he’s incredibly “humbled” when he considers all he’s been able to accomplish, explaining, “God has given me so much and has blessed me with so much that it’s nice to play characters like this that take me out of me for a moment and [I] realize, ‘Holy cow. I’m so fortunate to be the person I am and surrounded by the people God has surrounded me with.”