Tulsa King's Sylvester Stallone Based His Dwight Performance On Himself (Even Some After Tweaks)

Sylvester Stallone's been involved in a great many projects over the course of his career, but a starring role in a major TV show breaks new ground for him. In Taylor Sheridan's "Tulsa King," the veteran star plays aging New York mobster Dwight Manfredi, who's released from prison — and effectively offloaded to the titular Oklahoma town, much to his chagrin.

Though somewhat out of touch due to the unfamiliar territory and his years in prison, Dwight starts to competently build his empire, and deal with the locals and the existing criminal underbelly. The end result is effective enough that the Paramount+ crime drama has been renewed for Season 2, and there's a decent chance that an entire "Tulsa King" universe might be on the horizon. It's unlikely that any of this would be possible if Stallone wasn't so utterly believable in the role ... and, as it happens, the reason he embodies Dwight so thoroughly is that he based a lot of the performance on himself.

Stallone being an avid and extremely experienced filmmaker, it's hardly a surprise that the actor took a keen interest in his character. In fact, as he told IndieWire, he ended up influencing the character's development quite a bit ... and drew inspiration from the person he knows best: Himself.

""I tried to make it as close to my personality as possible," Stallone said about the character of Dwight Manfredi. "The idea is: They come up with an idea, a concept, but if you're a writer, you know how to tailor things to your strengths and deflect your weaknesses." 

Stallone also expressed gratitude for "Tulsa King" showrunner Terence Winter for allowing him to influence the character, which the actor found comparatively comfortable to portray — no doubt because of the similarities Manfredi and the real-life Stallone share. All in all, it's a good thing that Stallone is so comfortable with the role, since as he noted in the interview, "The General" may very well be the last character he portrays onscreen. "I think this might be my swan song," he said.