It’s not like he was being asked to have sex with Michael Madsen….

from www.nydailynews.com – Neal McDonough is so against having sex with Virginia Madsen that he was fired for it.

The Catholic family man was let go from his new ABC series “Scoundrels” for refusing to engage in heated love scenes with his co-star, Deadline.com reports.

Actor David James Elliott replaced McDonough after he had already been on set for three days.

ABC officially explained the move as a simple casting change.

The network’s decision to replace McDonough came as a surprise considering the actor is known for refusing to have sex on screen. McDonough would not get it on with on-screen wife Nicolette Sheridan in season 5 of “Desperate Housewives” and also kiboshed sex scenes with his character’s girlfriend on NBC’s “Boomtown.”

“It has cost him jobs, but the man is sticking to his principles,” a source told Deadline.com. McDonough is set to lose as much as $1 million for “Scoundrels,” according to the industry Web site.

For her part, Madsen seemed unfazed by her change in co-stars. “Preparing for my first day working w David James Elliot. AKa Handsome,” she tweeted happily earlier this week.

“Scoundrels” is based on a New Zealand series about criminal family’s matriarch who decides to go straight after her husband is sent to prison.