Neal McDonough Talks Creating Family Environment On BOON - Exclusive
For Neal McDonough, filming his new movie "BOON" was a family affair. During an exclusive interview with The List, McDonough spoke about the importance of creating a family environment on set. His wife, Ruvé, and their five children were present for the filming process. Ruvé served as a producer on the film, and their children assisted in the stunt department and with craft services. As McDonough lovingly stated during the conversation, "That's a family business that I hope my kids build upon."
Building this supportive environment stretched beyond what the McDonough clan was doing, though. As the Boston native told The List, the cast and crew of "BOON" would get together on the weekend to share meals and have fun. "On the weekends, we'd have everyone over," he said. McDonough clarified that the invitation was always open-ended: "Anybody [could] come on by anytime, we're watching football, we'll hang out. We'll play guitar, we'll sing songs. We'll tell jokes, tell stories. Everyone gets to know each other."
This approach seemed to work well for McDonough and the cast of "BOON," as they were able to benefit from the more relaxed environment in one key way.
The cast and crew were able to work shorter days
Filming a movie typically requires the cast and crew to work grueling 12-15 hour days. For Neal McDonough, this wasn't an option when he was filming "BOON" alongside his co-stars, as he wanted to create an environment that was more conducive to family. Speaking exclusively with The List, McDonough explained, "Our days were 10-11 hour days, not 15-16 hour days. We try to make our days shorter, and everyone knew that on the first take, you better be prepared because we're moving on fast."
While the prospect of nailing your take on the first try seems daunting, the "Band of Brothers" star said, "Everyone was in it to win it." They wanted to do well with the script that McDonough had co-written with Derek Presley, and they wanted to ensure that they weren't preventing family time by taking longer than needed to complete a scene. McDonough credits the family environment on "BOON" with the successful achievement of this goal. He believes that because everyone knew each other so well, they were more committed to doing things right the first time around.
"Be ready on your first take, and let's move on and let's also go enjoy our lives after the day is done. That's what we pride ourselves on," he said.
"BOON" is now playing in select theaters and is available on demand and for digital rental or purchase.