In an industry where steamy love scenes are the norm, Neal McDonough has spent over three decades setting himself apart — by refusing to kiss any of his co-stars on-screen.
But after 35 years in Hollywood, the Band of Brothers and Desperate Housewives star recently made a single, heartfelt exception.
A career built on conviction
McDonough, 58, is known for roles in Captain America: The First Avenger, Yellowstone, and Minority Report, but his name is just as synonymous with a rare Hollywood stance: no on-screen intimacy. His self-imposed rule against kissing other actresses — even in romantic plotlines — has reportedly cost him significant roles, including a $1 million part in ABC’s Scoundrels in 2010. And it's all out of the dedication he has for his wife.
“I won’t kiss any other woman because these lips are meant for one woman,” McDonough previously told Closer Weekly. That woman is South African-born Ruvé Robertson, his wife since 2003 and the mother of their five children.
In 2019, speaking at an Orange Catholic Foundation event, he elaborated: “If I’m in bed with another woman, I don’t want my kids to see that. I don’t want my family to see that. I really don’t want God to see that.”
The moment that changed everything
This year, McDonough found a way to bend his rule — without breaking his principles. In The Last Rodeo, released in May, he stars as bull-riding champion Joe Wainwright opposite a very special co-star: his real-life wife, Ruvé.
“Many people out there have asked me what it’s like to have your first screen kiss, which I just did in The Last Rodeo,” McDonough said in a TikTok video. “The reason it’s so special to me… I won’t kiss another woman on-screen, but now I get to kiss the one, the only, my best friend, and the love of my life, Ruvé.”
“To have my first screen kiss and to actually play the hero, and kiss the girl in the end, is something that I’ve never done, but something I’ve always wanted to do my whole career,” he continued. “Now I get to do it.”
The emotional moment resonated with fans. “The only man with a spine,” one viewer commented. Another called it “beautiful. True love! The rest of Hollywood is trash.”
Losing jobs — but keeping faith
McDonough has never been shy about the personal cost of his convictions. “After that [Scoundrels], I couldn’t get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot,” he admitted. “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.”
But he stood his ground, adding: “I was not going to lose the fight. And it worked. My career has been phenomenal.”
One of his biggest breaks came just as he was preparing to leave Hollywood altogether. He revealed he was about to give up and work at his parents' motel when a surprise call came through — from Steven Spielberg. “He wanted to see me for Band of Brothers, and it was off to the races.”
A Hollywood love story
McDonough met Ruvé on St. Patrick’s Day in 2001 in London. “We literally bumped into each other on the street, locked eyes, and that was it,” he said. He ended a previous relationship the next day, telling his then-girlfriend, “I just met the woman I’m going to marry.”
Their relationship, now over two decades strong, is at the heart of McDonough’s unshakable boundaries.
Even when working on Desperate Housewives, McDonough’s kissing policy stayed intact. He recalled telling series creator Marc Cherry about his limits: “I’m sure you know, but I won’t kiss anybody.” Cherry’s response? “All right, I’m just going to have to write better.”
A rare stance in a high-pressure world
McDonough's approach is unusual in Hollywood — and he knows it. But he’s made peace with the consequences. “This is who I am,” he’s said. “It’s about being true to yourself and putting family first.”
And now, after decades of sticking to his word, McDonough has finally gotten his screen kiss — with the only woman he ever wanted to share it with.