Neal McDonough: From Canceled to Constant Film, TV Gigs

The joke in Hollywood is that Pedro Pascal is in every third movie.

It’s an exaggeration, but not by much. He’s starring in two movies this month alone – “Eddington” and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

The same can be said of Neal McDonough, the versatile actor from “Band of Brothers,” “Justified” and many more projects.

In recent months, the 59-year-old star has appeared in “The Shift,” “Skillhouse,” “The Last Rodeo,” “Tulsa King,” “Homestead” and this week’s new mystery-thriller “Guns & Moses.”

And he couldn’t be happier about the work flow.

“I can’t pound a nail. I’m terrible at jokes, but man, I can act. If this is my God-given talent, I’m going to use it to the best of my ability to entertain people,” McDonough tells HiT. “Now that we’re producing our own movies, it’s even crazier.”

McDonough didn’t produce “Guns & Moses,” but it’s the kind of project that fuels his creative fires. The film follows Rabbi Mo (Mark Feuerstein), a gentle leader who takes firearm training after his synagogue comes under attack.

The main suspect is a local White Supremacist (Jackson A. Dunn), but Rabbi Mo isn’t convinced. To find the killer, he becomes an amateur sleuth, a task that puts him in the crosshairs.

His enemies should know he’s far from a soft target. He’s ready to shoot back.

“To be part of a film that makes you think, it’s kind of my goal. I love studio films … but I’m an actor, and I love to sink my teeth into a character, whether it’s a good guy or a bad guy,” he says. “And ‘Guns & Moses’ is pretty darn thought-provoking.”

The film, in theaters now, was conceived and shot before October 7. Suddenly, self-defense is top of mind to Jewish populations across the U.S. McDonough notes that those fears existed long before Hamas’ unspeakable atrocities.

“Those problems have been going on for thousands of years … people have tried to erase the Jewish faith from the planet, and if we forget about that, shame on us,” he says.

“There’s so many different ideas going on [in the film] … but you’ll come out of it thinking hate is not the right choice. Understanding and compassion is. Yes, it’s a thriller. Yes, it’s a neo-western … I’m the western guy. My kids make fun of me, ‘Dad, do you have any other clothes other than blue jeans?’

“’Guns & Moses’ has so many different types of genres all rolled into one film … but it’s about trying to forgive and trying to understand instead of trying to hate,” he adds.

CAT AND MOUSE.🐱🐭🐈

A beloved small town rabbi in the high desert becomes an unlikely gunslinger after his community is violently attacked. Get ready for GUNS AND MOSES. In theaters July 18.

Starring, Neal McDonough, Christopher Lloyd, and Dermot Mulroney#gunsandmoses pic.twitter.com/pamHbSDfhu

— MoviePass (@MoviePass) July 17, 2025

You won’t find McDonough getting on a political soapbox like some of his peers. He speaks earnestly of his faith in a way that’s welcoming and kind.

That faith also cost him dearly behind the scenes in Hollywood.

McDonough won’t kiss another woman on screen except for his wife, model Ruvé Robertson. That cost him a gig on ABC’s “Scoundrels” and, as McDonough put it, temporarily blacklisted him in Hollywood.

Gigs suddenly dried up, the actor recalled in a 2019 interview before Graham Yost, a producer on “Band of Brothers,” tapped him to play a villain on FX’s “Justified.”

And nobody plays a baddie quite like McDonough. After that, he was back at work, busier than ever.

McDonough’s “The Last Rodeo,” the most recent film from Angel Studios, came via his new production shingle. The actor stars as a retired bronco rider forced back into the sport after his grandson’s sudden illness.

The drama earned $15 million at U.S. theaters and has scored well on VOD platforms. The story fits into producer McDonough’s game plan. Create stories that uplift instead of divide or demean.

“You might call it corny, but that’s who I am. I want to make films that make the world a better place,” he says.

You can hear the whole interview, including McDonough’s thoughts on working with living legend Sylvester Stallone on “Tulsa King,” on The Hollywood in Toto Podcast.