‘Tulsa King’: Sylvester Stallone’s Real Daughter Was ‘Too Young’ to Play Tina
By now, Tulsa King fans may have noticed that one of Sylvester Stallone’s real-life daughters has a role in the Taylor Sheridan series. Scarlet Stallone plays Spencer, a young woman working at a coffee shop who helps Dwight save Pilot the horse. Dwight has a daughter in Tulsa King, but Scarlet was too young to play this character.
Who does Sylvester Stallone’s daughter Scarlet play in ‘Tulsa King’?
Scarlet Stallone plays a barista named Spencer in Tulsa King. Dwight meets Spencer at the coffee shop where she works, and Spencer tells her about Pilot. The free-spirited horse frequently breaks out of his stable and roams the streets of Tulsa. Unfortunately, this habit causes his owner to decide to put him down.
Spencer breaks the news to Dwight, but the mafia capo has other plans. When Spencer tells Dwight she is quitting the coffee shop, he takes her with him to buy Pilot and offers to pay her to take care of the horse. Spencer gladly accepts the offer.
Scarlet was too young to play Tina in the Taylor Sheridan series
Scarlet is the youngest of Stallone’s daughters with his wife, Jennifer Flavin. Of the three women, Scarlet appears to be the one most taken with acting. She previously appeared in the 2014 film Reach Me alongside her father.
“Some people are diminished by the camera, some people are enhanced by it,” Stallone said while speaking to USA Today. “There’s a thing she has with the camera, even with still shots, that is unique. All my daughters are beautiful, and they all have their specialties. But Scarlet is the one who’s most adamant about pursuing the job of a wondering dramaturge.”
At only 20 years old, however, Scarlet was “too young” to play Dwight Manfredi’s estranged daughter Tina in the Taylor Sheridan series, Stallone told the outlet. Tina is supposed to be 32 years old in the show. She was only 7 when Dwight went to prison to serve a 25-year sentence.
Tatiana Zappardino plays Tina in ‘Tulsa King’
Tina is instead portrayed by Tatiana Zappardino, a 33-year-old actor who has appeared in TV shows such as Superstition and This Is Us. The actor passes pretty easily as Stallone’s daughter “with similar eyes and very Italian looking. She’s perfect for the part,” Stallone told USA Today.
Zappardino had an interesting experience getting cast in the role. “I got the audition, I was like, ‘Oh man, this actually fits pretty well. I kind of do look like him,'” the actor recalled while speaking to Adam Lupis.
“I did the audition, I sent it in, and then Sly adds me on Instagram, and I was like, ‘What’s happening?’ cause I didn’t hear anything yet,” she continued remembering dancing in her living room when she finally got the good news.
Zappardino also discussed what it was like working with Stallone. “As soon as I was on set, we had this really great connection,” the actor recalled. “I was comfortable with him right away. He’s just so easy to work with. I didn’t feel intimidated or scared to be on set. It was just easy.”
New episodes of Tulsa King drop Sundays on Paramount+.
