{"id":19193,"date":"2022-04-20T10:04:57","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T14:04:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=19193"},"modified":"2022-12-08T13:09:47","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T18:09:47","slug":"actor-comes-to-realization-after-pleading-with-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2022\/04\/actor-comes-to-realization-after-pleading-with-god.html","title":{"rendered":"Actor Comes to Realization After Pleading With God"},"content":{"rendered":"

Actor Neal McDonough has always been honest about his faith, his moral parameters when it comes to filming, and the acting drought he believes he faced in 2010 due to his religious views. However,\u00a0McDonough, 56, recently\u00a0told Fox News\u00a0how his faith guided him through those struggles and helped him land on the other side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a time when I wasn\u2019t working. I couldn\u2019t get a job because people thought I was this crazy religious guy,\u201d he\u00a0said. \u201cBut that wasn\u2019t the case. I love my wife, but I love my acting too. I was hopeful that, at some point, someone would give me a chance again.\u201d<\/p>\n

McDonough, who is Catholic, famously alleged he was fired in 2010 from the show \u201cScoundrels\u201d for his refusal to do sex scenes. But his filming parameters weren\u2019t a new policy, as the actor also doesn\u2019t kiss others on screen and had reportedly long been open about that fact. Still, \u201cThe Band of Brothers\u201d star believes his unwillingness to do these scenes eventually harmed his career, and he told Fox News he found himself frustrated and pleading with God.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember falling to my knees and saying, \u2018God, why have you forgotten about me? Why am I being punished so much?\u201d\u00a0McDonough said. \u201cAnd as soon as those words came out of my mouth, I realized what self-absorbed questions those were.\u201d The actor realized God had given him a lot in life and that he should have been overtaken by gratitude instead. He told Fox News, \u201cWe all experience challenges in our lives. I should be grateful \u2014 and thankful \u2014 for all the blessings I\u2019m given.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Featureflash Photo Agency \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He said he received a phone call a few minutes after that prayer and was offered a role on \u201cJustified.\u201d From there, the jobs came back, and \u201ceverything was kind of forgotten,\u201d McDonough said. The actor said he\u2019s grateful to God for all he has in his life and career.<\/p>\n

As Faithwire\u00a0previously reported, this isn\u2019t the first time\u00a0McDonough has addressed these issues. He told Closer Weekly about the \u201cScoundrels\u201d issue a few years back, describing his apparent Hollywood drought that followed as \u201chard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a horrible situation for me. After that, I couldn\u2019t get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot,\u201d he\u00a0said. \u201cI am very religious. I put God and family first and me second. That\u2019s what I live by. It was hard for a few years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite McDonough\u2019s difficulties, he should be commended for standing firm in his convictions in an industry that typically doesn\u2019t reward such behavior. It can be easy to give in when things aren\u2019t going your way or feel cast aside. However, McDonough chose to stick with his beliefs instead of giving in, even though he believes it almost cost him his career. As soon as McDonough cried out to God, he realized how silly and selfish he sounded. As soon as he realized this, God gifted him with another opportunity. This story is proof that sometimes, God will take away something to give us something better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Actor Neal McDonough has always been honest about his faith, his moral parameters when it comes to filming, and the acting drought he believes he faced in 2010 due to his religious views. However,\u00a0McDonough, 56, recently\u00a0told Fox News\u00a0how his faith guided him through those struggles and helped him land on the other side. \u201cThere was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":22047,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[5126],"class_list":["post-19193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","category-entertainment","tag-neal-mcdonough"],"yoast_head":"\nActor Comes to Realization After Pleading With God<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Actor Neal McDonough has always been candid about his faith and the acting drought he believes he faced because of his religious views.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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