Sunday, April 04, 2010
Actor fired from ABC for refusing sex scene
Salon.com: "In the glittery, tawdry jungle of the entertainment world, it’s rare that actors get in trouble for not having sex -- or simulating sex -- on camera. But not doing sex scenes is exactly why Neal McDonough, an actor perhaps best known for his role as Nicolette Sheridan's sociopathic husband on 'Desperate Housewives,' got the boot from the new ABC series 'Scoundrels.'"
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18 comments:
Wow it's pretty sad that to have sex scenes in a tv show is more important than having a the right actor play the part. I do think sometimes actors know that certain shows have nudity, and if they have a problem with that they just shouldn't do them. I just wish our industry wasn't one that depended on sex so much. Honestly certain plays need nudity and sex and it is not at all for the purpose of "sex sells". But i'd say for every show that actually uses nudity and sex for a purpose, there are probably 100 shows just wanting a cheap audience. I'd much rather see a great actor than a good looking one with no clothes on, but I guess most people obviously don't agree.
I have to commend him on his values. The fact that he gave up a whole series shows the values he places on himself. I think that mrstein has a great point, while there are instances where sex is important to the storyline, many times in modern theater and television, sex is an added extra to get the audience and the ratings. My question for the actor is, if he chose to quit this show for the risky material, why is he still a part of Desperate Housewifes, a show that relys upon the sex apeal of this characters?
I'm glad to see an actor that's sticking to his values. Sex is used most of the time in tv, movies, etc.just because it sells really well. It's nice to see actors willing to forgo certain shows because they feel that it doesn't match up with what they are willing to do. Granted, this is a more well-known actor and has more opportunities and choice in terms of what he wants to do, but still the fact that he went and made that decision and sticks by it in an industry where sex scenes are expected at some point in your career is great to see, and something I wish we would see more of sometimes.
I agree with Mary,Tim and AJ... I think that to stand up for your principles and turn down a series that seems like it could really help his career is pretty admirable. At the same time though, seeing as this happened on the third day of filming, I would imagine that he would have known there were going to be sex scenes before he signed on for the part, in which case he just shouldn't have accepted it right off the bat. And if the reason that he doesn't want to do the sex scene is because of religious purposes, then I would be interested to know why he draws the line at just that one topic... In other tv shows and movies, he is many times the villian, and in the case of Desperate Housewives, a murderer... Not the values of a good catholic. What makes sex worse than murder? If he's going to use the excuse that he doesn't want to do the scene because it "conflict's with his values", that doesn't quite make sense to me.
Wow, a show rather have a sex scene then an actor. That seems just crazy. How important can that scene really be? Maybe it is sure important, sometimes, it is the thing needs to move the plot forward, but sometimes it is just to sell a show. If this is a case of sex sells, I think this was not the best decision. Good for him though to stick with his morals and accept the fact that he is getting fired.
I really respect his actions. I think that there are certain cases where a sex scene is integral to the artistic view of something, but that is rarely the reality. I think it's a bit ridiculous that he got fired over this, instead of some agreement being reached. It seems unlikely that there was no way to find a compromise. I think that Hollywood often encourages people to sacrifice their ideals to make it. While he did end up losing his job, he is setting a good example, for people who may be tempted into doing things for the sake of their career.
I don't understand why sex scenes are so important in television. Simply inferring what happens has the same impact considering the level of graphicness the FCC allows producers to show on network tv. I think this producer is silly to replace an actor in order to show a non-graphic sex scene. I also think that this actor is in the right for refusing to act in a scene like that if it does no coincide with his morals. I feel that the entertainment industry is so competitive that often actors and actresses are willing to compromise their morals to get the job. It is refreshing to see someone who has their priorities straight.
I am a big fan of... well if the actor doesn't feel the part isn't for them, is afraid of heights or won't have sex on camera we can find another. Any actor venturing out into the entertainment field has to realize that instances like this will arise, and if they don't want to do a scene like this- fine. They will get someone else. The same goes for our jobs, and others. The scene still needs to happen, we'll just bring in someone else to do it. It confuses me that he has been on desperate housewives though. It seems like an oxymoron. In the end more power to him, but I don't wanna hear any whining. I just wanna watch the show (as syndical as that sounds).
Honestly, I do agree with everyone, and think this man deserves a tip of the cap for staying true to himself, but at the same time I really agree with Bryce. This is a tough industry, and if the actor has a problem, there are thousands of other actors. The scene needs to happen. Also, this might be a bit over my head considering I'm not an actor, but I always felt that actors should be braced for more than others, just because they never really know what they're going to have to do. Refusing to do a sex scene seems, well...I'm not sure, but I personally think sometimes you should just suck it up and get the job done fast. But obviously I can't blame or judge him and my opinion can really go either way.
If this guy is known for refusing to do sex scenes, and he had asked even one question about his role in Scoundrels before accepting it, how was he still part of the process for so long? I'm surprised this issue did not arise earlier than three days into shooting.
There's a lot of instances where sex in a TV show is essential to the story, but actually seeing it is not. However, sex sells, so it seems like there is a fair amount of gratuitous sex on TV. On the other hand, this is ABC, so the scene could not have been that graphic to begin with; McDonough must be really strict about what he will and will not do for the camera.
I'm at an impasse on this one. On one hand I agree that actors should know what the roles they try out for entail, and if they have personal conflicts with what they sign up for then they shouldn't try out. On the other hand, the fact that ABC probably knew that this would be an issue and hired an actor that would have issues with certain aspects of the role and then was forced to fire him is ABC's fault. The fact that ABC didn't try to do this with some grace and calls it firing might be the real problem.
This is one of the most idiotic things that I have ever heard! Kudos to Neal for sticking with his beliefs. CAn we only make good shows by resorting to sexuality. Granted it's a pretty essential part of what drives the industry sometimes (which is pretty sad) but, I'm pretty sure people can find this elsewhere? I mean did it have to be shown onstage or couldn't it have just been implied? This is why some actors that can't even act are still taking work from more talented actors: because of their looks and willingness to get naked.
I am really surprised that an actor as famous as Neal McDonough refused to do sex scenes on prime time. When I read the article title I assumed that it would be some ambiguous actor I had never heard of because this could potentially accumulate some bad publicity for ABC but anyway I actually have really enjoyed watching New McDonough on ‘Desperate Housewives’ and think he’s a really good actor. I can’t imagine that a primetime abc show like the show ‘Scoundrels’ could have possibly had a sex scene that was integral to the story of the show. But my opinion on actors refusing roles for sex scenes really depends on what kind of story is being told. All in all, I think Neal Mcdonough is a great actor and that ABC should have considered that decision carefully.
I wonder if the chance of nudity/ a sex scene was written into his contract. If it was, then I definitely think that ABC had every right to replace him, but if it was never written into his contract, I think that ABC had no right to replace him. I do commend him, though, for sticking to his values, just like many other people do. I think that in the entertainment industry, it can be very hard to stick to your values, because of course you want to get as much work as possible. I think that if more actors actually stood up for their values, then maybe the entertainment industry wouldn't resort to nudity and sex to have more viewers.
I have a lot of respect for Mr. Mcdonough after reading this. I agree with Mary that it's extremely impressive that he turned down to role in favor of his morals, but I can also see Bryce and Tiffany's viewpoints. Why does he draw the line at sex, and not violence? And if he read the script, he must have known there was a sex scene, why wait until they were shooting to raise the issue? It seems like there is a lot more to this story than just what this article says. I do wish they could have reached some sort of compromise though. It seems absurd to ditch an actor over something like this--unless the producers felt this was indicative of an attitude problem based on how Mr. McDonough handled the situation. Regardless, a good actor is more important than just one sex scene.
I think it's interesting that less guys seems to have problems with nudity, and yet it's a man getting fired for refusing to do it. And then you have a number of women who have refused to do nudity and yet aren't being replaced. I'm curious if there is a higher expectation of male actors to be ok with nudity.
It is interesting article. Entertainment industry considers audience taste so that they show stimulus scenes to attract audience's attention.But at the same time, as allegra said, I also wondering that there was comment about nudity on the contract or not.
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