Renowned actor Neal McDonough recently spoke about the presence of Christianity in the entertainment industry. In publicly sharing his faith, political views, and abstinence from sexually charged scenes with women other than his wife, McDonough has endured harsh criticism from his Hollywood counterparts.
The actor discussed the intense backlash he received for standing firm in his values, which cost him opportunities in his career. “You know, I didn’t work for two years. I lost everything: house, cars, this, that, you know. It was one of the most brutal times in my life for sure. And my wife, Ruvé, helped me get through it and my belief in who I am and what I stand for. And now here I am 10, 15 years later because of that, now doing all these films with Angel Studios,” he said.
Angel Studios has made a name for itself as a small, independent studio producing significant films such as “Sound of Freedom,” which became a sensational box office hit this year. McDonough has recently worked with Angel Studios, acting as Lucifer in the faith-based sci-fi film “The Shift.” He noted the excitement the new movie is receiving from fans, stating, “It just keeps gaining, and walking through the streets here of New York, so many people come up to me and say, thank you so much for making ‘The Shift.’ We love ‘The Shift.’”
McDonough further discussed his character in “The Shift,” relating it to the broader imperfections of the human experience. “We found humanity in the character — that he was once God’s guy, and he made mistakes. We all make mistakes in life. It’s how we get up after we make those mistakes that dictate what kind of men and women we are for Him,” McDonough said.
He explained that throughout shooting the film, he began to desire greater faith in his personal life, where the movie’s message crossed the boundary between acting and reality. “There’s that moment in the end of the film where you see in my eyes, my gosh, I wish I had the faith that the lead character has. And I just get choked up, and it’s one of my favorite moments I’ve ever had in a film I’ve ever been in.”
“Now we’re off to do more projects with Angel Studios in ‘Unity,’” he said. “And Liam Griffin, one of my best friends growing up, is one of the key investors in our next project, so I couldn’t be happier. And to do this along with my wife, Ruvé — I’m the luckiest dude in town,” McDonough added.
The American Tribune recently reported on comments from McDonough, where he explained how playing Lucifer in “The Shift” was a transformational experience. “We all have to go through our darkness. We all get beaten up in life. We’re also all sinners in life. We have our flaws, we fall down, we trip all over ourselves, but it’s how we get up that dictates what kind of men and women we are for Him, not for us, but for Him.” He continued, “God first, me second, family first, me second, those are the tenets that we live by in our house. If more people live by that, wouldn’t the world be just a much sweeter place to live in?”
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