Tulsa King star jokes his wife was worried he would "get fired" from show
"You're going a little aggressive, Sly might not like it."
Some new faces have joined the second season of Paramount Plus crime drama Tulsa King, which stars Sylvester Stallone as Dwight "The General" Manfredi, a mafia capo who was banished from New York and has since set up shop in the Oklahoman city.
The opening episode introduced us to two new antagonists, Bill Bevilaqua (Captain America's Frank Grillo), a high-ranking Kansas City mobster, and Cal Thresher (Desperate Housewives' Neal McDonough), an "oil guy... who now kind of controls the whole marijuana industry in Oklahoma", the actor told RadioTimes.com.
Dwight and Cal's first encounter takes place during a fundraising event hosted by ranch owner Margaret Devereaux and you can smell the testosterone through the screen as they immediately get off on the wrong foot.
"Is there a problem?" asks Dwight, puffing his chest out, after Cal instructs him to stay in his lane.
"There wasn't, until there was," he snarls, undaunted by the man mountain before him, whose business is encroaching on his own.
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Speaking about going "toe to toe" with Stallone, who McDonough described as "one of the all-time greats", he said: "I was so– not just prepared, but so excited and confident in my approach to the character that when I got there, Sly and I just butted heads for the first couple of takes, and my wife [producer and actor] Ruvé [Robertson] was there on set, and she was like, 'Honey, you're going a little aggressive. He might not like it. Don't get fired, this is a great gig'.
"And then Sly comes around the corner. He stares at me with that look on his face and then he gets a smile on his face and gives me this huge hug and goes, 'Welcome to the show.' Because I gave my all and he loves that.
"He's a fighter himself and to have someone come in who's so prepared and ready to rumble, he loved it."
McDonough went on to say that unlike many of the roles he's played, several of which have been villains or individuals with questionable morals, he's "very shy".
"My wife calls me the lone wolf," he added. "I'm kind of off in the corner by myself and just not really so outgoing."
But that all changes when he switches into performance mode – and was particularly vital for this part.
"When I play characters, I can do anything that I want, and the freedom of that is pretty awesome," he said. "I have this innate confidence and I have no fear when I get to a set like that. And to work opposite someone as talented, as incredible as Sylvester Stallone, you better be on your game, you better be confident. You better bring it all because he's strong in his choices and strong in his will and his confidence in himself."
He added: "It was an awesome test and I'm so proud of everything that we did this year on Tulsa King."
Dwight is focused on expanding his empire in season 2, but the likes of Cal Thresher and Bill Bevilacqua won't make it easy for him.
"With looming threats from the Kansas City mob and a very powerful local businessman, Dwight struggles to keep his family and crew safe while keeping track of all his affairs," reads the official synopsis.
"Plus, he still has unfinished business back in New York..."
Tulsa King season 2 arrives on Paramount Plus on 15th September in the US, and 16th September in the UK - sign up for Paramount Plus here. Episodes air weekly.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
