When one thinks of movie star Sylvester Stallone, one thinks of action movies, tough guys, and hardened criminals, so it might be surprising to learn that Stallone doubts if he is strong enough to do television. Stallone opened up to Variety about how difficult and time consuming filming his first television role — Dwight Manfredi in Tulsa King — was for him.
“It’s beyond tough. I can’t believe some people have done this for four, five or six seasons,” Stallone said. “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.”
Tulsa King’s pilot was written by Taylor Sheridan who then gave the project to Terence Winter. It tells the story of Dwight Manfredi, who is a former Mafia leader. After serving 25 years in prison, Dwight is released and sent to live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The show can be streamed on Paramount Plus.
When asked if there would be a second season, Stallone was non-committal but beyond television’s quick-paced shooting schedule there may be a personal reason behind that. “Can they shoot it in my home in Palm Beach? That’d be nice,” he stated. “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.”
Stallone’s 25-year marriage to Jennifer Flavin hit a rough patch this year that almost ended in divorce. One of the many reasons for this was Stallone’s absence from family life because of his work schedule. There was also a disagreement over a Rottweiler named Dwight. The couple has since worked things out but it appears Stallone will be considering his family before making any future acting commitments.