Hollywood star Neal McDonough opened up about the “brutal” struggles he went through in his life, finding faith and eventual redemption as the inspiration behind his latest movie with Angel Studios, “The Last Rodeo.”
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In a wide-ranging interview with RedState, the 59-year-old actor admitted the parallels between his life and his character, retired rodeo legend Joe Wainwright, in his movie from the studio responsible for the sleeper hit “The Sound of Freedom.”
The ride is 8 seconds. Family is forever.
The Last Rodeo. In theaters May 23. Get tickets and showtimes now at https://t.co/UPH0yhF2D0.#TheLastRodeoMovie #AngelStudios #PBR@AngelStudiosInc pic.twitter.com/nYvLcAJtw6
— The Last Rodeo Movie (@lastrodeomovie) May 20, 2025
“To save his grandson, a retired rodeo star [Wainwright] enters a high-stakes bull-riding competition,” a description about the movie reads. “Along the way, he confronts his past, discovers faith, and proves that true courage lies in family.”
McDonough said God gave him the idea for the film, and he “didn’t want to let him down.”
He said he was driving home from the set of “The Warrant” in 2020 when the emotional idea of what he would do if he lost his wife, Ruve, came into his head, like a gut punch.
“And I pulled over on the side of the road, and this thought came into my head from God to write… a movie saying ‘write a film about ‘Rocky’ on a bull. Where you have to go back and ride to save your grandson’s life because he’s got brain cancer. The same thing that killed your wife in the movie,’” the actor said.
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So, he said he called his wife, and while sitting on the side of the road for the next two hours, the two worked on the outline that would eventually become “The Last Rodeo.”
“If you get a gift from God, you run with it as hard as you can,” Neal said. “Ruve and I have worked so hard through financing, getting distribution with Angel [Studios] and Angel’s just incredible. And then a few years later, almost to the day, here we are.”
“Faith is a massive part of the movie and my character Joe,” he added. “Like me years ago, when I went through hardships and everything was taken away from me because I wouldn’t do a sex scene. I had my house, my car, everything was literally taken away from me. Joe Wainwright is very similar, and I lost my faith in everything. And if it weren’t for Jon Avnet giving me the role in “Justified’ two years after it happened … But more importantly, having my wife, Ruve, helping me get through it and help me get over (drinking).”
“I was drinking myself silly, at the time, because I couldn’t understand why I was in such a tailspin in life with five kids and no money, and my gosh, it was just, it was brutal.”
McDonough was referencing when he said he was blocked from Hollywood roles after being fired for allegedly refusing to do on-screen sex scenes in 2010 on ABC’s “Scoundrels” and the downward spiral he went through afterwards.
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“And if it weren’t for Jon Avnet, I don’t, I don’t know what I would’ve done because he gave me that shot back, but it was Ruve who got me back to God,” the Hollywood star said. “She’s the one that got me back to church. And going to church every day. And for 10 years, being sober and going to church, thousands of times, faith is everything to me. And when Joe Wainwright finds his faith, three-quarters of the way through the film, he’s riding for something different. He’s living for something different … God first, me second.”
The “Yellowstone” star said the real message in the film is that if something “bad happens in your life to your family, what are you prepared to do to provide or protect them? And that’s what this movie is really all about. “
He then got choked up while we talked because he said it’s emotional “every time” he thinks about what has happened to him in the last few years. “What a gift he has given us.”
McDonough said he hopes moviegoers leave the theater understanding that “Faith conquers all.”
“Life is messy,” the actor said. “And if you have faith, you can get through things a whole lot easier than if you don’t have faith. That he always has our back. We’re not always there for God, but if you really are there for him, amazing, miraculous things will happen to you in your life. Because I am living proof that you can go from ashes to just an incredible life once you realize it’s not about you. It’s about serving others.”
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He said he’s just happy to be able to make movies for the heartland of America, the part of the country he said that’s “really been forgotten when it comes to filmmaking.”
McDonough didn’t beat around the bush and said Hollywood is still not getting the message that moviegoers want films about faith and family, as he encouraged everyone to go out and support it. “You’ve got to go buy tickets. You’ve got to go to the cinema because it will tell Hollywood we need more films to talk about real family values and faith. And that’s what this movie is all about.”
“The Last Rodeo” hits theaters nationwide Memorial Day weekend, opening Friday, May 23. You can check out their website for tickets and more information.
Check back for RedState’s review of ‘The Last Rodeo” ahead of its release in theaters.
This post was originally published on here
