Sylvester Stallone is absolutely beaming about the cast of “Tulsa King.” He’s not just the star of the hit Paramount+ series, portraying a mob boss with a surprising depth of heart who’s building a new life in Oklahoma; he’s also an executive producer. This means he played a pivotal role in assembling the talented ensemble, and he couldn’t be prouder of how perfectly each actor fits. “I know that it happened once in my life and that was with the cast of ‘Rocky’ where everyone was perfect,” he shared.
Among these exceptional talents is 27-year-old Jay Will, who brings the character of Tyson Mitchell to life. Tyson’s journey on screen mirrors a real-life mentorship: he’s transformed from Dwight Manfredi’s (Stallone’s mob boss character) chauffeur into a kind of adopted son and protégé. Remarkably, the 79-year-old Stallone has extended this powerful mentorship to Will off-screen, guiding a co-star more than five decades his junior.
During a recent Zoom conversation, Stallone spoke glowingly about Will. “Ten other guys, you put them in the spot and they’re all the same,” he explained. “But him, you become riveted to. And I find that with very few actors. They just have it. They don’t have to work at it. You can’t teach it. They didn’t get it from Juilliard. It’s just part of their birthright, their character.”
Ironically, Will did attend Juilliard, the highly esteemed performing arts conservatory in New York. After earning his degree in 2021, he was actively seeking his breakthrough role when the chance to audition for “Tulsa King” arose.
He studied Stallone’s legendary performances in the “Rocky” and “Rambo” franchises. Yet, to his genuine surprise, the intimidating anticipation melted away as soon as he met Stallone, leaving him completely at ease for the tryout.
“I never told you this,” Will confessed to Stallone during their shared interview. “I’m just like an athlete watching their tapes. I came from an athletic background. I get in the audition and I’m face to face with him, and it was so much more relaxed than I thought. I came up so pumped up thinking that it was going to be this one thing, but it was such a familial energy as soon as I met him.”
Impressed, Stallone and the other executives hired Will immediately. “He moves in a way that is different from everyone else in the cast,” Stallone noted, highlighting Will’s unique presence.
Even conversing from separate Zoom screens, the undeniable chemistry between Stallone and Will shone through as they delved into their distinct acting methodologies.
“My technique, sometimes I will think that it is actually a relative or someone that’s very close to me,” Stallone explained. “So, when I talk to Jay, I feel as though I’m talking to someone that I’ve known for many, many, many years.”
“That’s a good day,” Will chuckled, clearly appreciative. “He just taught me something there. It’s crazy. Just being with Sly, if you’ve got the ears to listen, you’re going to get a whole bucket of advice.”
“Tulsa King” represents fresh territory for both actors. Created by Taylor Sheridan (known for “Yellowstone” and “Lioness”), the series marks Stallone’s inaugural leading role in a major television production, following a celebrated career as a big-screen icon.
Tyson, Will’s character, was originally envisioned as an intermittent presence. However, Will’s performance far surpassed expectations. “It was not intended to be that big,” Stallone stated regarding the role, “but it just happened because you could not suppress the talent.”
Consequently, Stallone frequently finds himself taking on the task of writing for Will’s character. “He has a certain rhythm, so when other writers will write for him, I go, ‘You’re not getting his essence,’” Stallone revealed. “And I’ll go back and I rewrite and I overwrite.”
Will initially approached the role of Tyson with careful adherence to the script, a reflection of his Juilliard training. Gradually, he began to infuse scenes with Tyson’s unique perspective, adding a subtle word or a meaningful glance. More often than not, his spontaneous additions made it into the final edit.
“As time went on, I’m getting word from Big Dog, ‘I like what you did. Keep putting your thing there,’” Will recounted. “So, I kept doing it, and it becomes more and more and more.”
Tyson frequently strives to establish himself as capable and committed to a Mafia way of life, often clashing with his own family’s desires. Stallone describes the car scenes where Tyson chauffeurs Manfredi as akin to “therapy sessions” for their characters, revealing a deeper layer to their dynamic.
“We talk a lot about acting and theory,” Stallone explained. “For example, how can we get more out of this scene? How do we add? Perhaps, literally in the middle of the sentence, stop speaking for three seconds, four seconds, let the body speak. We’re always changing the rhythm, and he likes to do that a great deal.”
At Juilliard, Will recalled, deviating from the script was almost considered sacrilege by instructors.
“Not only that,” he added, “they teach us that you’re not even in character if you’re not honoring the original text of the character.”
As the new episodes unfold, Manfredi and his associates will encounter a formidable new rival family. The season will also feature an appearance by Samuel L. Jackson as Russell Lee Washington Jr., who is set to transition from Tulsa to New Orleans to star in his own spinoff, “NOLA King.”
Tyson’s internal struggle will intensify, caught between the demands of his biological family and the new, unconventional family he’s built with Manfredi. “There’s a major conflict there and Tyson again is trying to find his way in: ‘Where do I stand in all of this?’” Will elaborated.
“Tulsa King” is returning for its third season and has already secured a fourth, but Will’s ambitions extend beyond television. A passionate musician, he also starred as the titular character in the film “Rob Peace” after the first season of “Tulsa King.” Directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, the true-story adaptation saw Peace attend Yale while navigating a clandestine drug world to fund his efforts to free his father from incarceration. Upon landing the role, Will personally reached out to Peace’s mother on Facebook to seek her blessing for his portrayal.
Will already has a clear vision for his next acting challenge.
“I want to do an athletic movie,” he declared. “I want to be like a boxer or a football player or a point guard or something like that.”
Should that role materialize, he won’t have to search far for expert guidance.