Neal McDonough Reveals the Surprising Reason He’s Never Watched ‘Yellowstone’

Neal McDonough is making a major acting confession.

While appearing on the Arroyo Grande with Raymond Arroyo podcast on September 30, McDonough, 60, reflected on his time on Yellowstone and shared how being a method actor impacts him once he steps off set.

McDonough, who starred as real estate mogul and cold-blooded villain Malcolm Beck in the hit Taylor Sheridan series, revealed that his commitment to the character made it too difficult for him to watch the show after stepping away from the role.

“I don’t watch any of my stuff at all,” the Tulsa King star shared. “No, because it’s too painful. It’s too hard because when I really immerse myself into a character, I’ll go back to him.”

While he called Beck a “lightning in a bottle” character, as a method actor, McDonough explained that returning to a character like that can be difficult, so he does his best to avoid experiencing the feelings and emotions he tapped into when filming.

“So going back, to me, sometimes can be really traumatic and painful,” he said. “But, as an artist, that’s what you live for. You want to find out who you really are, what you’re really about, what makes you tick.”

McDonough continued, “Sometimes when I play a really dark character, I have to go to a spot [and have to] think of things that you would never possibly want to think of unless you had an analyst next to you talking you through it. Well, as an actor, you don’t have that analyst talking you through it.”

The Band of Brothers actor doesn’t even watch the final cut of a project, telling host Raymond Arroyo, “I was there on the day [it was filmed]. I know I did a great job because God gave me a talent… So I don’t need to look to see if it was good or not. I think I did [good].”

“They keep hiring me, right?” he quipped, noting that if he has to watch a cut of the project, he will. “If they keep hiring, I must be doing something right.”

As for how he gets back to baseline, McDonough shared that his wife and kids help keep him grounded.

“The thing that gets me out of it every single time is, I see my wife Ruvé‘s face, and then I see the five kids,” he said. “Then, all of a sudden, I’m back to Neil McDonough again.”