Sylvester Stallone confessed to feeling pressured upon discovering that Samuel L. Jackson would join the cast of Tulsa King.
In a conversation with People regarding Season 3 of the popular drama, Stallone remarked that hearing about Jackson’s addition felt significant.
“I thought, ‘This is going to be intense. It’s going to be a showdown,'” the Rocky star recalled, as reported by People.
“Like two boxers in a ring, wondering who will strike first. It’s nerve-wracking to face serious competition,” Stallone shared.
However, Stallone, who stars as mafia leader Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi, soon realized that Jackson, portraying ex-con Russell Lee Washington Jr., was more ally than adversary.
“When he entered, he said, ‘Hey, dude brother,’ and I thought, ‘Here we go.’ But now we’re great. We could easily do a show called Tulsa King and Buddy. We just clicked,” said Stallone.
Despite Tulsa King being their first on-screen collaboration, Stallone mentioned they’ve been neighbors for decades.
“We’ve lived about a hundred yards apart for nearly 30 years,” he noted.
“But we’ve always been busy. Our encounters were mostly at events or openings,” Stallone explained to People.
While their career paths differed, Stallone highlighted a shared milestone.
In a recent interview, Stallone discussed a Rambo prequel idea involving AI to portray a younger version of his character.
“People thought I was crazy. AI can convincingly show him at 18 in Saigon using the same image. It’s not far-fetched,” he told Variety.
Stallone plans to release his memoir, The Steps, on May 5, 2026.
