‘Tulsa King’ Star Sylvester Stallone Calls Filming the Show ‘Beyond Tough’
At 76 years old, Sylvester Stallone finally landed his first starring TV show role in the Taylor Sheridan series Tulsa King. The legendary film star is known for films like Rocky and Rambo but never ventured into the world of television. Now that Stallone is getting a taste of the TV actor life, he’s realizing just how difficult it can be.
Sylvester Stallone made a name for himself as a movie star
After years of acting on the big screen, Sylvester Stallone finally landed a role where he can be himself. That character happened to come in the form of Dwight Manfredi, a mafia capo exiled from New York in the Taylor Sheridan series Tulsa King.
Of course, Stallone is no mobster, but he relates to most other aspects of his Tulsa King character. “People think after Rocky that I’m a little impaired. Or after Rambo, they think you’re monosyllabic, dangerous, and antisocial,” Stallone told Variety. “What you see as Dwight is what you see right now. This is who I am.”
‘Tulsa King’ is Sylvester Stallone’s first time on TV, and the actor found it to be hard work
Over the years, Stallone became synonymous with his onscreen characters like Rocky Balboa and Rambo. His time inhabiting action heroes and boxing champions was certainly no walk in the park. Stallone even spent a few days in the ICU after Dolph Lundgren landed a real punch on him during the making of Rocky IV.
Yet filming a TV show appears to be Stallone’s biggest challenge yet. “It’s beyond tough,” he told Variety. “I can’t believe some people have done this for four, five, or six seasons. It’s brutal compared to filmmaking. I’ll never say, ‘This is a hard shoot’ again on a feature. It’s a vacation compared to this! It really is.”
Although creating Tulsa King was a challenge, it seems to have been worthwhile for Stallone. After filming ended, he posted a heartfelt message on Instagram. “This was a very long, difficult, exciting, mind-blowing production has just ended in Oklahoma,” the actor wrote. “Though it was a long time to be away, it was worth it and to work with fantastic talent in front and behind the camera.”
‘Tulsa King’ returns for season 2
Back in November, Stallone told Variety he was unsure about working on a second season of Tulsa King. “Can they shoot it in my home in Palm Beach? That’d be nice,” the actor joked. “I talked to my wife about it. If she comes along with the kids to the set to visit, perhaps. But it’s a big decision, it really is.”
Since then, Tulsa King has been renewed for season 2, so it looks like Stallone will be putting his work boots back on. “We could not be more excited about the success of Tulsa King,” CEO of 101 Studios David Glasser said after the season 2 announcement, according to Deadline. “It’s a fun, fresh show that audiences are truly embracing in no small part because of its star, Sylvester Stallone.”
New episodes of Tulsa King drop Sundays on Paramount+.
