Taylor Sheridan has another hit show on his hands. The creator of the Paramount Network ratings powerhouse Yellowstone is also the creator of the acclaimed Paramount+ drama Mayor of Kingstown starring Jeremy Renner. With news that Sheridan’s Tulsa King, also on Paramount+, will have a second season, ABC Audio is hitting rewind on how the Sylvester Stallone-fronted series came to be.
Stallone, who famously refused to have his script Rocky made unless he starred in it, explains of actor-turned writer Sheridan, “I actually identified with him because I had a hard time making it as an actor. And that’s why I decided to, you know, diverge into writing.”
The 76-year-old star adds with a laugh, “And…obviously 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. It actually opened up the door to a whole new world that probably never would have been presented. So we had a lot in common.”
However, Stallone admits to ABC Audio that his instincts as a filmmaker die hard, recalling when he insisted a background actor, Justin Garcia-Pruneda, get bumped to a main role on the show. “Sometimes you see characters that you go…’He’s got it,'” the Hollywood icon explains.
Sly says, “…For example, the heavyset guy that I hit with the thermos [in the pilot], that was his only scene. That was it, done. I said, ‘No, no, no. He’s going to be around. He’s going to be my sidekick.’ And as the series goes on, Fred becomes my consigliere…Because you could just tell this guy has the ‘it’ factor. It’s just a certain way he moves. It’s so detectable.”
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