What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? (Mt. 16:26)
Actor Neal McDonough, who played 1st Lt. Lynn ‘Buck’ Compton in Band of Brothers, one of my favorite movies, seems to have really taken these words to heart in his career. A good Catholic family man, McDonough has a history of refusing to do sex scenes and, I’ve heard, even refusing to kiss another woman onscreen. This decision has reportedly cost him several roles, most recently, a starring role in a new ABC dramedy series – not to mention $1 million in paydays. Some have questioned why he agreed to the role in the first place, supposedly knowing ahead of time that the it required some “heated” love scenes with Oscar nominee Virginia Madsen. Whatever, the fact remains, he refused to compromise his principles even for a pretty hefty paycheck – and that’s awesome! Heck, the fact that there even is a line that he will not cross for the sake of his chosen profession is pretty amazing these days.
Also, I’ve seen some comments from people who find his “no sex” policy hypocritical because he will take roles that require him to “kill” people onscreen. After all, if he’s such a devout Catholic, shouldn’t he also be against violence and killing? But, as one smart commenter put it:
As an actor, you can pretend to kill someone. You can’t pretend to kiss, make-out, or roll around with someone. That’s real body parts touching each other, not fake blood.
This is why Bella star Eduardo Verastegui has described sex scenes as “legal adultery.”
By the way, I think this also says a lot about how far downhill network television has gone that a role – no matter what the time slot – would violate the principles of a good family man.
7 Comments on “Catholic Actor Keeps the Faith, Loses Role”
Agreed.
I need to rent “Band of Brothers.”
Yes, you do!!! I own it and have seen it a few times. They air it on the History Channel a couple times a year if you get that. It takes a while to get through the whole thing, but it’s worth it!
I find the language used in “BoB” offensive.
It may be offensive, though I didn’t think the foul language was very excessive compared to some other films – but I have a feeling that’s probably the way they talked to each other. If they had cleaned up the language it likely would not have been an accurate depiction of the war and our soldiers.
It must be rememberred that Band of Brothers is about war. I mean, about a real bang-bang-war where people fight and die and where the opposite is a pseudo-Pagan Totalitarian dictatorship committed to genocide, war and world domination. In the American viewpoint, WWII was a just war.
It is small wonder that when people fight and die, they aren’t very likely to use language suitable for Sunday school. It is a grim situation – one of life and death, and the psychological stress is enormous. Those using foul language can IMO be excused because of that horrible stress.
War can be condensed in four words: cold, hunger, fatigue and fear. My both grandfathers fought in WWII, and neither of them ever talked about war when sober. I understood it wasn’t exactly a picnic for either, but something which will wound everyone involved inside.
Band of Brothers is one of the most realistic and naturalistic depictions of war ever made. But if you want to know what war really does to a man, watch “Rambo I – First Blood.” Sylvester Stallone makes a masterpiece as a Viet Nam veteran who suffers from severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder. John J. Rambo isn’t a bada** nor a tough guy. He is a war veteran whom the war has shattered inside and who suffers from immense PTSD. He is a walking barrel of powder who gets bullied one time too much and snaps – such cases are dime in a dozen in the real life. In my opinion, the correct ending for the film would not have been walking Rambo to a police car, but rather to an ambulance. His correct place would not have been prison, but a hospital, to get treatment for his condition.
Sherman was right – war is hell. Those who do not get wounded physically, sure will get wounded mentally.
It’s now in my Netflix queue.
Huh, the expected availability is “Long Wait.”
Ya, I went to Netflix to check it out and it looks like a long wait even if you only put in one disc at a time. Someone must have the whole set. You might be better off, if you really want to watch it, actually going to Blockbuster or something and renting it that way. It can take a while to get through.