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RISING STARS McDonough Keeps Love Home Netscape TV "Medical Investigations'" resident Irish hottie Neal McDonough declares that sex for him - real or simulated - is reserved for his wife. So don't expect McDonough's Dr. Connor character to end up in any explicit romantic liaisons with his costar Kelli Williams on the NBC hit about an elite government investigation unit specializing in sudden, mysterious and dangerous medical outbreaks. "I'll put it this way… I've never had to do it (a love scene) before and I never want to have to do it either," says the 38-year-old Dorchester, Massachusetts native, who's married to former South African model Ruve Robertson. "That kind of late night soapy stuff is not my cup of tea." The couple is working on starting a family now, and he says, "I don't want my kids to some day say 'Dad, why are you in bed with that other woman?' Life's too short for me and the Big Man upstairs has been so good to me I don't want to cheapen or tarnish it. I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. It's the Catholic boy in me, what can I tell you." McDonough says he told the "Medical Investigations" producers of his disdain for romantic entanglements "on day one. I said it wasn't interesting to me. Let Troy (Winbush, who plays Frank Powell) go off and have the affairs, not me." The actor says he did the same thing on his last series, NBC's "Boomtown" police drama with Donnie Wahlberg and Mykelti Williamson. He recalls his character in that show, David McNorris, "was supposed to be this womanizing guy, but I made him something else. I'd rather stick to the problems of solving the crimes of each week, than having to have a romance between characters just for the sake of doing so. "If it's really well written, truthful and honest I'm up for it," he concedes slightly. "But I'm not really comfortable with that kind of stuff. And besides we've seen it all. I like acting the character stuff and trying to get through problems, instead of creating problems. Let's find new things to do." He says he also didn't want "Medical Investigations" to become "a racy show because of the subject matter. It's kind of like 'CSI.' We're trying to keep it as procedural as possible so the audience can get up to speed on what we're doing." He adds, "They're starting to infuse some character development, but you don't want to give too much back story and all that stuff. This is a fast-paced, hard-driving show." McDonough says his no-love-scenes policy "sure makes the home life a lot easier." Though he makes it clear that his stance is not based on any pressure from his wife. "Ruve is supportive of everything I do," says McDonough. "She's always there a hundred percent behind me." He proudly recalls that when his 6'3" wife was modeling in South Africa, "she was Miss this and Miss that… and now I'm lucky enough to call her my wife." Indeed, the combination of a happy home life with the success of a new series that shoots in Los Angeles, makes McDonough declare, "I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I get to shoot the show then at the end of the day I get to stay in town and go home to my wife." His ardent adoration and love for his mate is readily apparent when he takes a moment from our conversation to wave his wife over to where he's talking on the phone. She's come to the set to have lunch with her man. "We have a pact," says McDonough. "We have to have at least two meals with each other a day. It's either breakfast and dinner, or she'll come by and have lunch sometimes. I don't like being away from my wife too long." An attitude that probably makes her feel like she's the luckiest gal in the world. |