If you want to make it as a movie icon or a star of the small screen, you better be just as good of a negotiator as you are an actor.
Underneath all the glitz and glam of the entertainment world is a boatload of paperwork – which explicitly outlines the agreement between both parties and what the studio expect of the performer.
But the actor can also make some demands before signing on the dotted line too… such as one particular actor who point-blank refuses to lock lips with anyone on set.
Neal McDonough, 58, from Boston, Massachusetts, has lost jobs over his unwavering stance on kissing anyone except from his wife.
To recruit McDonough for the cast, you have to ensure that there isn’t a single snog or sex scene in the storyline for his character.
The Band of Brothers star simply will not compromise on the kissing clause in his contract due to his religious beliefs, because even a quick smooch on camera would count as infidelity in his eyes.
“I won’t kiss any other woman because these lips are only for one woman,” the devout Catholic previously said.
The lucky lady in question is his wife of 21-years, Ruvé McDonough.
McDonough first met the South African film producer, 58, while shooting Band of Brothers in the UK in 2000, before they tied the knot three years later and went on to welcome five children together.
Dubbing her his ‘good luck charm’, the actor added: “Everything that I am today is because of Ruvé.”
There’s no wriggle room around Neal McDonough’s contract clause (Netflix)
Although his dedication to his wife is super sweet and all, producers don’t take the same view, as the father-of-five’s refusal to perform in intimate scenes has proved quite an obstacle throughout his career.
McDonough revealed he was fired from the ABC series Scoundrels in 2010 because he would not hop into bed with his on-screen wife in the show, which was a ‘hard’ time in his life.
Speaking to Closer Weekly, the American Horror Story actor said: “I was [surprised], and it was a horrible situation for me.
“After that, I couldn’t get a job because everybody thought I was this religious zealot,” McDonough explained. “I am very religious. I put God and family first, and me second. That’s what I live by.”
McDonough said of his wife: “To have her as my partner in everything, I’m just the most blessed guy I know.
“That’s why I go to church every day and say thank you to God for everything he’s given me. And most importantly, thank you for giving me Ruvé, because without her, I most certainly would not be talking with you right now.”
He also reckons that his stance on sex scenes shouldn’t rule him out of roles too, as if they wanted him enough, they would found a way around it – like Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry did.
The actor says his ‘lips are only for’ his beloved wife Ruvé (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
The dad played villain Dave Williams in season five of the hit series, and despite being in an on-screen relationship with man-eater Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan), he managed to avoid a smooch with her throughout the entire season.
Discussing how he went about announcing his kissing clause to Cherry, McDonough explained: “When Marc Cherry signed me, I said, ‘I’m sure you know, but I won’t kiss anybody.’
“He was like, ‘But this is Desperate Housewives!’ I said, ‘I know.’ He paused for about five seconds and said, ‘All right, I’m just going to have to write better.'”
He’s not the only star to lay down the law about their limits on set.
Keanu Reeves revealed that he bans studios from digitally altering his face too much once he’s filmed his parts. Meanwhile. if you want Samuel L. Jackson in your film or show, you have to give him time to play golf at least twice a week.
Actors, right?