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Neal
Appeal Dorchester-born and Hyannis-bred-actor Neal McDonough stars opposite Tom Cruise in the new movie Minority Report and starts working on his new TV series, Boomtown, this month. A 1984 graduate of Barnstable High, he received a BFA in acting from Syracuse University and studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. His film credits include Angels in the Outfield; Star Trek: First Contact; and Ravenous. TV roles include a season on Murder One, guest appearances on Murphy Brown and NYPD Blue and parts in numerous miniseries. Last fall, he became better known to audiences from his role in the Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. In addition to his role in Minority Report, this spring he finished filming for the big screen adaptation of Michael Crichton's book Timeline in Montreal. He lives with his girlfriend in Los Angeles.  |
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| Jonathn Soroff:
So you're the bad guy in Minority Report? Neal: No! I play Tom Cruise's best friend. JS: So tell me. Is he a good kisser? Neal: He's the dude. JS: Yeah, but is he a good kisser? Neal: Jonathan, we're not going that way. JS: C'mon! It's all anyone ever talks about - is Tom Cruise gay? Neal: No. JS: Ok, so biggest change in your life in the past four years? Neal: That's pretty easy: my girlfriend, Ruve. I've gone from being a boy who was going out doing crazy stuff to having an anchor in my life. JS: Sh'e sitting right next to you, isn't she? Neal: Yup. But I mean it. I've really grown from being with her. I'm only six feet tall, and she's six-foot-three, so I wear higher heels now. JS: Speaking of which, what did you wear to the Golden Globes? Neal: A tuxedo that was kindly sent to me by my friends at Calvin Klein. JS: Didn't you answer your cell phone onstage? Neal: [Laughs] I did, as a matter of fact. But the guys in the cast weren't even supposed to go onstage. We weren't even invited into the hall - we were down in this dungeon basement room, watching a simulcast, and we decided that if the show won, we'd gang-rush the stage. When they were getting ready to announce our category, we went upstairs and these big Magilla guys recognized us and opened the doors, and just as we walked in, they announced that Band of Brothers won. So Tom Hanks said, "C'mon, boys," and we all went up together. JS: And the cell phone? Neal: Well, I was standing there, and I felt it vibrating in my pocket. I tried to ignore it, but it kept going off, so I finally answered, and it was my brother, Kier, saying he was watching me on TV. JS: Is it impossible for an actor not to kiss Steven Speilberg's ass? Neal: Steven's amazing because, yeah, he's obviously who he is, and you're on your best behavior hanging out with someone of that caliber, but he immediately makes you feel like one of his friends. The more successful people I meet in this business are the guys who don't take themselves seriously. They take their craft very seriously. Tom Cruise is the same way. JS: Ever see Tom Hanks do something mean? Neal: There isn't a mean bone in his body. I know that's boring, but it's true. JS: Fine. Then give me yet another "Tom Hanks is a great guy" story. Neal: OK, here's what he's all about. When we auditioned for Band of Brothers, he was in the room. There were 30 other people - producers, casting directors - and I said, "Which casting director am I reading with?" Tom raised his hand and said, "You're going to read with me." I went in for the audition for a different part than the one I got. It was a very small part. That means he must've read with maybe 500 actors. Here's a guy who's won two Academy Awards; he doesn't even need to be in the room. He could've just watched the tapes. But he set the tone for the whole show by giving so much right from the beginning. JS: So you worked a little harder? Neal: A lot harder. JS: Favorite Tom Cruise story? Neal: Well, the only calls he takes on the set are from his two kids. At one point during filming, we were hanging 80 feet up in the air, in flying harnesses, sweating like crazy, in the middle of summer, doing a big action sequence. We see his assistant down on the ground signaling to him, so he calls a cut, drops down and starts talking to his son, Connor. "Hey, buddy. No, I can't really talk now. I love you, too. I'll see you later." Then he goes back up and finishes the scene. He's such the family guy. It's amazing how normal he is, in the face of being the most successful actor of all time. JS: So with those eyes, what part husky are you? Neal: I think my mother was 60 percent husky, so I guess that's make me 30 percent husky and 70 percent Irish. JS: What's the most "girlie" thing you do for your looks? Wax your back? Neal: No. But I shower at least once a week. JS: C'mon. You're an actor! You have to be vain! Neal: Well, I cut my own hair... JS: You do not! Neal: Yes, I do. But Ruve does the back, because I can't really see it. JS: That must be why you're so devoted to her. Neal: Exactly. JS: Most pathetic or sleazy thing you ever did in an audition? Neal: I did a really bad impression of Christopher Walken during my audition for my new TV show, Boomtown. Nobody laughed. But the worst was probably when I lied my way onto TV so I'd have tape to send a casting agent. It was Tom Bergeron's old show in boston - People Are Talking. They said, "Call us if you were married for less than a year," and I said I'd found my wife in bed with my best man less than a week after we were married. I was crying my ass off onstage, and just really hamming it up, but I got my first movie role from sending that tape to Universal. JS: So Tom Bergeron's not likely to invite you onto Hollywood Squares anytime soon? Neal: I haven't seen him since, and I doubt he wants to see me. He was so pissed when he found out that it was an act. JS: You just bought a house in Hollywood Hills. Are you feelin' all kinds of Dean Martin? Neal: Oh, yeah. In fact, I just bought new martini glasses and a shaker. JS: I'll be right over. What's the biggest difference between doing TV and movies? Neal: Pace. On TV you do maybe two or three takes and move on, shooting at least six pages a day of dialogue. Whereas, in a movie, you're lucky if you do a page or a page and a half a day. JS: Which do you like better? Neal: I like TV. It's more gratifying. The days go by so much faster. On a film, it's so slow. Doing Band of Brothers, we'd film an explosion, and they'd be like, "OK, let's reset the town, build a new wing on that house," and then they'd literally build a new part of the house because the explosion didn't look right. So you sit around reading a book while they rebuild a town. That can get old. JS: How about modeling? You're the new face of David Yurman. Neal: I know. Who ever thought these little gorilla paws would be modeling jewelry? It's hilarious. One of the rings they had me model? I'm sitting in this gorgeous black-on-black-on-black 1969 GTO convertible, and they hand me this ring. It's a size 22, the biggest ring they make, and it won't even fit over my first knuckle. They literally had to cut this $20,000 ring open to fit over my Barney Rubble fingers. JS: What free stuff did you get? Neal: Well, he paid me very handsomely and gave me a very generous check to go into the store anytime I want, but I haven't been in New York to do that yet. JS: Best bar on Cape Cod? Neal: Oooh. I'm going to piss off a lot of people, but they're both in Hyannis, and it depends on the season. In summer, it's Baxter's. Winter, Starbucks (not the coffee shop). JS: Coolest spot where you've filmed? Neal: Coolest in terms of temperature and the experience was probably the mountains of Poland, where we shot Ravenous. It ws about 15 degrees below zero, and I was standing naked in a river. JS: I imagine there was significant shrinkage. Neal: Oh, yeah. I was an innie that day. And it was my choice to do it. The script called for my character to do push-ups in the snow, but I saw the river and told the director I wanted to do the scene naked up to my waist in the water. For the first 10 seconds, it was the most painful thing, but after about 30 seconds, I couldn't really feel it anymore. The doctor was on the side, saying, "All right, Neal, c'mon out now," and I was like, "Naw, I'll do one more take." After about a minute and a half, I tried to get out and couldn't. My legs were frozen. They had to drag me out, and they literally had four or five girls rubbing my legs to get the feeling back. JS: So you had fluffers? Neal: Easy, boy. JS: OK, biggest problem actor you ever worked with? Neal: Myself. JS: When they eventually do the E!True Hollywood Story on you, what will your tragic flaw be? Neal: What do you mean? JS: Y'know, when they say, "When we come back, Neal's in a downward spiral because of..." Neal: Oh, boy. Take your pick. JS: I imagine it'll involve green bottles. Neal: Yeah, probably. JS: If you were a vegetable, what would you be? Neal: Guiness. See where you got me going? JS: One role you'd most like to have played, like the world premiere of Hamlet in Shakespeare's own production? Neal: That would rock. For movies, Popeye Doyle in The French Connection is my favorite role of all time. I love playing flawed characters, because we're all flawed. JS: Except for me. Neal: Oh, right. Actually, I think "Jonathan" means "not flawed" in Polish, or something. JS: Actress you'd most like to do a love scene with? Neal: Well, Ruve says there's only one actress I can do that with, because she's South African too: Charlize Theron. JS: Are Trix really for kids? Neal: [Laughs.] Depends on what kind of tricks. Some are not. JS: Like Tom Cruise? Neal: [Laughs.] You just don't quit, do you? You know, everybody says Tom's like this teeny little guy, and he's about your height but a lot stronger than both of us. So maybe I'll call him, and he'll come knock on your door and crack you over the head. JS: If you were a superhero, what special power would you have? Neal: The ability to fly. JS: What's in your pockets right now? Neal: A receipt from a car wash and $12. |