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Minority Report's Soldier of Fortune
Some would argue that the all-American boy went
out with the 1950s (or at the very least, Richie Cunningham and "Happy Days"),
America having become far too cynical a landscape to keep breathing life
into such a seemingly archaic archetype. Actor Neal McDonough could
refute this claim in any court of law, based both on his work on-screen, and
his activities off. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Neal's parents,
both Irish immigrants, owned a motel in the seaside resort of Hyannis, where
Neal grew up the youngest of seven children. An accomplished athlete,
he played baseball at Syracuse University, where he earned a BA in Fine Arts
with an emphasis in drama. After completing graduate work at London's
prestigious Academy of Dramatic Arts and Sciences, Neal returned to the States,
landing his first role, a bit in Sam Raimi's Darkman (1990).
After a series of memorable roles on the big and small screen, most notably
in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), McDonough started to find
the constant grind of searching for new work frustrating. "I decided
to walk away from it for a while and went back to Massachusetts to work in
my parents' motel," Neal remembers. "I did that for a little over a
year, and was obviously not happy, because being an actor is where my heart
is."
Then one day, out of the blue, Neal got a call
from a friend (who would become his manager) that Steven Spielberg and Tom
Hanks were casting a new miniseries set during WW II. The title:
"Band of Brothers". "I went in the first day, and read with Tom Hanks.
I'm thinking, 'Wow!' And I really felt that I nailed it. When
they invited me back the next day, I knew that my life would never be the
same," Neal says with a grin. The experience was, indeed, life changing,
and Neal's portrayal of war hero Lynn "Buck" Compton was singled out by many
critics as one of the most powerful and galvanizing of the series.
"Buck is an amazing man, just remarkable," Neal explains. "He was an
all-American football star at UCLA, a decorated war hero. After the
war, he became a decorated LAPD officer and then a leader in the DA's office,
going on to prosecute Sirhan-Sirhan for the Robert Kennedy assassination.
A courthouse was just named after him. They were some big shoes to fill,
but he was very generous in helping me to wear them for a while."
Neal himself has scored a victory recently, landing
the coveted role of Fletcher, Tom Cruise's best friend and fellow "future
crimes" cop in Steven Spielberg's blockbuster Minority Report.
"I hadn't met Steven when "Band of Brothers" wrapped. And all of us
in the company, who remain close friends to this day, went to the Golden
Globes last year to support Tom Hanks, who was nominated for Cast Away," Neal
remembers. "Anyway, Tom and all his friends were in the VIP room, which
was like, bodyguards galore. I said to my girlfriend, Ruve, 'No way
we're getting in there.' Then my girlfriend spotted Steven across the
room. Before I could move, he saw me and came across the room and introduced
himself. He said, "I really like what you did in Band of Brothers.
How would you like to play Tom Cruise's best friend in Minority Repo
rt?' I'm trying to be cool, and I'm practically crushing every bone
in Ruve's hand, I'm squeezing it so tight. Guess what my answer was?"
Needless to say, Neal has nothing but praise for star
and director alike. "Steven is just a master, there's no other way
to put it, but also one of the most humble people you could ever meet.
He's just a guy. Tom is like this wellspring of positive energy, constantly
in motion, like the quarterback who's always pushing his teammates to go
the extra distance. Minority Report was an amazing experience
for me, across the board."
Neal will next be seen in the NBC television
drama "Boomtown", which premieres this fall. He plays District Attorney
David McNorris, a flawed, but passionate man of the people. Spielberg
is one of the show's executive producers. "Originally they wanted Jimmy
Smits for the part, but when that didn't work out, Steven said, 'Why
don't we make him Irish and cast McDonough?' " As far as his character
goes, Neal was drawn to McNorris' contradictory nature. "He's a guy
who's got a lot of integrity professionally, but as a human being he's got
more than a few chinks in his armor. There's just this kind of wonderful
Irish angst about him. Ultimately, I think, he'll be a tragic figure,
but one that most people can empathize with because we all have that conflict
within us. If anything, ten years in this business has taught me that."
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