“I had met Sly briefly over the years,” the actor tells Nerd Reactor. “You know, ‘Hi, how are you?’ And I’ve been an admirer of his work for years. And you’ve got to block that out in the sense when you’re working with someone, you work with someone that you’ve seen for years and admire, and then you’re actually in the room with them working.”

In Season 3 Episode 6’s “Bubbles,” there’s an intense meeting between Manfredi and Quiet Ray. All hell breaks loose when someone fires at both of them.

“So it’s like a divide,” he added. “You have to put that aside and then get to work. But it was amazing. I mean, we were on the same page, and we’ve come from basically the same backgrounds. So there’s a connection there to start. And then during the scene, we improv a little bit and we tried this and that. I think it turned out to be a great scene.”

James Russo’s credits span decades, and he’s known for playing the tough guy and bad guy in films such as Donnie Brasco.

“Well, I think it’s good to find something in the character that’s not completely black and white,” Russo said. “You know, you are playing a human being, whether it’s evil or monstrous. But yeah, I try to find a human side in that character.”

The actor reflects on working with director Quentin Tarantino in Django Unchained.

“He’s like a walking encyclopedia,” he said of the director. “It’s great when you’re working with someone who has an appreciation for cinema. You sometimes work with directors who you mentioned this movie, that movie. ‘I never saw that.’ ‘What about that movie?’ ‘I never saw that.’ It’s mind-boggling how ignorant some directors can be as far as the history of cinema. With Quentin, it’s amazing. I remember he was surprised that I knew because I love Mario Bava, the Italian horror director. I think he was shocked that I actually knew who Mario Bava was. That was great going back and forth on Bava movies.”

Visit our Tulsa King page for more interviews with the cast.

About Tulsa King Season 3

Synopsis: In season three, as Dwight’s empire expands, so do his enemies and the risks to his crew. Now, he faces his most dangerous adversaries in Tulsa yet: the Dunmires, a powerful old-money family that doesn’t play by old-world rules, forcing Dwight to fight for everything he’s built and protect his family.

Tulsa King stars Sylvester Stallone, Martin Starr, Jay Will, Annabella Sciorra, Neal McDonough, Robert Patrick, Beau Knapp, Bella Heathcote, Chris Caldovino, McKenna Quigley Harrington, Mike “Cash Flo” Walden, Kevin Pollak, Vincent Piazza, Frank Grillo, Michael Beach and James Russo, with Garrett Hedlund and Dana Delany.

Tulsa King Season 3 premiered on Sunday, September 21, 2025, on Paramount+.

The post Inside Tulsa King Season 3: James Russo on Stallone, Tarantino, and Gritty Roles appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The Dunmire family is the top dogs in the whiskey business, but Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight and his team are joining in on the business, and that is not sitting well with Jeremiah.

“The man is a force of nature and he has been for decades,” Knapp tells Nerd Reactor about portraying the son of Robert Patrick’s Jeremiah. “But I think that’s why it brought so much intensity to each scene we had together. It’s intimidating to be in that scene with him, but I think it played well with the character. Cole has got a good heart, but he’s got whiskey in his blood and it’s passed down generation to generation and also the dark legacies that come with it.”

The first time we see Cole with Mitch and Cleo, drama is already brewing in the second season.

“That was actually the first day I was shooting, and I was shooting the scene with Garrett Hedlund and Bella Heathcote,” the actor said. “But I’ve known Garrett for a decade, right? We worked together on an Ang Lee film 10 years ago in Atlanta, but it was so much fun to just go head-to-head with him. He’s such an amazing actor and amazing person. I think Cole’s function is to disturb the herd, cause a little ruckus and make some noise. So yeah, I think it was a great intro.”

About Tulsa King Season 3

Synopsis: In season three, as Dwight’s empire expands, so do his enemies and the risks to his crew. Now, he faces his most dangerous adversaries in Tulsa yet: the Dunmires, a powerful old-money family that doesn’t play by old-world rules, forcing Dwight to fight for everything he’s built and protect his family.

Tulsa King stars Sylvester Stallone, Martin Starr, Jay Will, Annabella Sciorra, Neal McDonough, Robert Patrick, Beau Knapp, Bella Heathcote, Chris Caldovino, McKenna Quigley Harrington, Mike “Cash Flo” Walden, Kevin Pollak, Vincent Piazza, Frank Grillo, Michael Beach and James Russo, with Garrett Hedlund and Dana Delany.

Tulsa King Season 3 premieres with one episode on Sunday, September 21, 2025, exclusively on Paramount+.

The post Tulsa King Season 3: Beau Knapp on Playing Robert Patrick’s Son and Trying to Stop Stallone’s Empire appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Mitch Keller, played by Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy), has a romantic history with Cleo, and the show quickly puts the two together in the middle of all the chaos and excitement.

“Oh, man, it was so fun,” Heathcote tells Nerd Reactor with glee. “I mean, that first scene – to like catch someone unaware – catch one with their pants down, if you will. To walk into that car dealership and just tease him right out the gate, and to see him on the back foot was very endearing and a lot of fun to catch him in his embarrassing life.”

The chemistry between Hedlund and Heathcote can be seen outside of the screen as they joke with each other while answering our questions.

“I love working with Bella so so much,” Hedlund said. “You know, we actually met each other like 10 years ago, but she doesn’t remember. We get to have a blast on set. The scenes, wonderfully enough, become very charming and endearing. You root for these guys, and that’s something special in this one. It’s at least something that you haven’t seen Mitch go through in the prior seasons.”

Another newcomer to the series is Kevin Pollack as Special Agent Musso, who is another obstacle in Dwight’s rise to power in Tulsa.

“Well, going toe-to-toe with an icon is a little silly on paper, given my background and what have you,” Pollack said. “So it was quite a relief and extraordinary to get to set and be not only so welcomed by the crew as well as the cast and then Mount Rushmore’s own Sylvester Stallone, but to have him be this brilliant scene partner in terms of generosity and improvisation really loosens up the tension if not removing it completely.”

Jay Will portrays Tyson, who has been helping Dwight since he arrived in Tulsa, OK. His parents do not approve of his criminal lifestyle, but season 3, Jay’s father is more involved in his life.

“It feels like you don’t have to hide anything anymore,” Will said. “I never drank around my parents growing up, but I can imagine what it’s like when you were able to take your first drink around your parents, when you’ve already been drinking the whole time. And you finally take it, and you don’t have to hide anything anymore. So I feel like Tyson can really be himself. And he can evolve at a rapid speed now because he can be free.”

About Tulsa King Season 3

Synopsis: In season three, as Dwight’s empire expands, so do his enemies and the risks to his crew. Now, he faces his most dangerous adversaries in Tulsa yet: the Dunmires, a powerful old-money family that doesn’t play by old-world rules, forcing Dwight to fight for everything he’s built and protect his family.

Tulsa King stars Sylvester Stallone, Martin Starr, Jay Will, Annabella Sciorra, Neal McDonough, Robert Patrick, Beau Knapp, Bella Heathcote, Chris Caldovino, McKenna Quigley Harrington, Mike “Cash Flo” Walden, Kevin Pollak, Vincent Piazza, Frank Grillo, Michael Beach and James Russo, with Garrett Hedlund and Dana Delany.

Tulsa King Season 3 premieres with one episode on Sunday, September 21, 2025 exclusively on Paramount+.

The post Tulsa King Season 3 Cast on New Threats, Romance, and Working With Stallone appeared first on Nerd Reactor.