Sylvester Stallone has been somewhat pigeon-holed and typecast as a thick-skulled ‘heavy’ throughout his career, due to the massive success of Rocky, Rambo, and his other action movies. Therefore, when he tries to do roles that fall outside of this type, his fans can struggle to accept it.
Stallone has successfully done a few dramatic roles, most notably in Cop Land (1997), and has even branched out into writing and directing a dance movie (1983’s Staying Alive). Stallone has also dipped his toe into comedy movies, with varying degrees of success – there’s Tango & Cash (1989), Stop! Or my Mom will Shoot! (1992), and Reach Me (2014). But in 1991, Stallone’s fans struggled to accept their tough guy Rambo in gangster comedy Oscar.
ComicBook.com asked Stallone whether Oscar’s Angelo ‘Snaps’ Provolone or his character in new TV series Tulsa King, Dwight ‘The General’ Manfredi, was the more dangerous character. “Snaps, of course,” Stallone said with a laugh. After ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian said he loved Oscar, Stallone replied, “I did, too. I guess it was too much of a shocking transition from Rambo to that, but I love doing that kind of drama. This one here [Tulsa King] sort of leans in that direction.”
Oscar featured an early role for Marisa Tomei, who would go on to win the Oscar for 1992’s My Cousin Vinny, before (of course) becoming Peter Parker’s Aunt May.
Sylvester Stallone has been very busy since he had something of a comeback in 2015’s Creed, with his performance impressing critics and audiences. He’s appeared in unusual superhero movie Samaritan, this Taylor Sheridan TV series Tulsa King, and how could we forget King Shark in The Suicide Squad?
Tulsa King is the first time that Stallone has starred in a TV series, and he’s not the only one turning to television after a long movie career. Harrison Ford is appearing in another Sheridan series – 1923 – which shows that Sheridan clearly has the secret sauce when it comes to drawing long-time movie stars across to TV.
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