Sylvester Stallone’s underdog story and meteoric rise as a Hollywood star have long been talked about over the years. The actor had to make a lot of sacrifices to make sure that Hollywood took notice of him and his script for Rocky. With no acting godfather by his side, his struggle paid off greatly, as Rocky has become his signature role and franchise that he is popularly known for.
In his long and illustrious career, Stallone has never played a gangster and was never approached by filmmakers for it. That changed when Taylor Sheridan came to him for Tulsa King. The two shared many things and were friends long before the project came to fruition. Stallone found many similarities between Sheridan’s career and his and this formed a deep connection between them.
Sylvester Stallone and Taylor Sheridan Have a Similar Career Trajectory In Hollywood
In the 70s, Sylvester Stallone was a struggling actor who was looking for a big break in the industry. Before Rocky, he did not have any notable films that catapulted his career. He switched to writing the script for Rocky and pitching it to different people and studios. While many passed on the opportunity, he did not back off and continued pursuing his dream, which greatly paid off in the end.
The actor played the lead in Taylor Sheridan‘s crime drama series Tulsa King. Stallone and Sheridan had been friends long before their collaboration, and in an interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, he pointed out the similarities between him and the series creator. Stallone stated that both he and Sheridan were not satisfied with their acting careers when they began doing it.
The actor also pointed out how both he and Sheridan switched to writing to make their presence felt in the industry (Stallone with Rocky and Sheridan with Sicario). He acknowledges that he wouldn’t have stayed relevant in the industry if he hadn’t become a writer and he feels the same for Sheridan. Stallone said,
“It was just a guy who, I identified with him because I had a hard time making it as an actor. And that’s why I decided to diverge into writing. And it seemed to be obvious that I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t become a writer. And Taylor, I guess because he wasn’t satisfied with his acting career. I actually opened up the door to a whole new world that probably never would have been presented. So we had a lot in common.”
As both actors and screenwriters, both Stallone and Sheridan know how hard it is to make it in the industry. They have struggled and become what they are now through their perseverance and hard work. Thus, their shared journeys in the industry formed a connection between them and this led to a bonafide collaboration when they made Tulsa King.
Sylvester Stallone Claims Films Are Like a Vacation As Compared to Doing a Series
Sylvester Stallone starred in his first ever full-fledged TV show with Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa King. Stallone plays a New York mafia capo Dwight who is released from prison after 25 years. However, he is forced to resort to his old ways when is faced with danger yet again. Stallone found it very tough shooting the series and can’t imagine how other people do multiple seasons of their shows.
In an interview with Variety, the actor stated that after doing Tulsa King, filmmaking felt like a vacation to him. Shooting a long-form episodic series felt very complex, cumbersome, and brutal, with Stallone also declaring that he would never complain while shooting a film after his series experience. He said,
“It’s beyond tough. 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.”
Tulsa King received positive reviews from critics and audiences and was a hit at Paramount+. The series has been renewed for a second season, and while Stallone may have found shooting the series excruciating, its success surely must have driven him to return for more. In films, he will star in the upcoming action thriller Armored directed by Justin Routt.