Sylvester Stallone is someone who completely bet on himself and carved out a storied 50-year career. The Tulsa King star, who was often

overlooked as a performer before his big break, has revealed that he sees a lot of himself in Tulsa King creator Taylor Sheridan, who has gone through a similar journey in Hollywood.

 

 

The Rambo star, who appears in the third season of the drama series, says that Sheridan’s Hollywood experience and his own professional path share some interesting similarities.

“There was a crossroads where I knew I was always going to be ‘thug number three’ coming through the door,” Stallone told People. “I saw the handwriting on the wall and knew I had to pivot, big time, and the same thing happened with him.”

Stallone, who was not considered leading man material during his early days trying to break into the industry, was often typecast and overlooked for roles. Stallone pivoted to writing, penning the script for Rocky, which would go on to win several Academy Awards, including Best Picture in 1976. Stallone famously refused to sell the movie rights to producers who wanted to cast someone else in the starring role. Betting on himself, Stallone starred in the film and spawned one of the most iconic franchises in movie history. The icon sees a similarity with Sheridan’s journey.

 

 

“[Sheridan] was a serious actor, but no one was giving him his break,” Stallone continued. “He realized the clock was running out, and he had to learn to write. He was always kind of a lonely kid, like I was. I was always making up fantasy stories in the mirror and all that stuff. But I get his dilemma. I get the reason he pursued another career. It isn’t because you wanted to, you had to, or you’re gone. He’s a survivalist.”

Sheridan began his career making appearances on television and film, including roles on Veronica Mars, Sons of Anarchy, and Walker, Texas Ranger, but ultimately turned to writing after never really finding his footing as an actor. The shift to writing led to his first big breaks (and what big breaks they were), writing the screenplays for Sicario (2015) and Hell or High Water (2016), both of which are considered two of the best films of the 2010s.

Stallone then remarked on their first meeting, which had taken place over 10 years ago, and how it had led to their eventual collaboration on Tulsa King.

“When we finally met—unwittingly at a barn, both riding horses—I started to talk to this kid,” Stallone recalled. “I go, ‘Why don’t you help me write Rambo, the fourth one?’ He says, ‘I’m working on this thing called Sicario.”

Tulsa King follows a New York mobster, Dwight Manfredi (played by Stallone), who gets exiled to Oklahoma by his boss after spending 25 years in prison. Manfredi must assemble a crew and establish his authority in an unfamiliar place.

“About 10 years later, here he comes with this idea,” Stallone said, explaining how he was searching for what could be a new chapter of his career. “Then Taylor Sheridan called me and goes, ‘You want to play a gangster out of water in Tulsa, Oklahoma?’ I go, ‘Oh—now there’s a challenge. Absolutely.'”

Sheridan has gone on to create a television empire, producing the phenomenon that was Yellowstone, and then seemingly solely populating Paramount+’s streaming library with his own shows. Tulsa King is one of several popular television dramas by Sheridan, which also include Landman and Special Ops: Lioness.