Jimmie Tramel
Tulsa World Scene Reporter
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Actor Robert Patrick has a knack for bringing a “you don’t want to mess with me” vibe to roles.
Moviegoers have known this since at least 1991, when, in a breakthrough performance, Patrick was the shape-shifting and unrelenting T-1000 android assassin in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”
His “knack” continues to present day.
Patrick joined the cast of “Tulsa King” for its current season. If you’ve seen the first three episodes of season three, you know it’s not healthy to be at odds with his character, liquor kingpin Jeremiah Dunmire.
You can find other examples between “T2” and “Tulsa King.” Heck, you don’t even want to mess with Patrick’s character in “Walk the Line.” He played Johnny Cash’s father, Ray Cash, in the 2005 film.
Said Patrick in a recent Zoom interview with the Tulsa World: “To be honest with you, of all the characters I have played, possibly Ray Cash is the one that I’m drawing most of the similarities from for Jeremiah in the sense that there’s a father-son dynamic that’s quite the same. The older boy passes away, and he’s left with the younger son that he’s not quite as fond of. So certainly that dynamic was there as well. Ray Cash was a formidable guy and haunted Johnny Cash for the rest of his life. I think it’s in Johnny Cash’s autobiography. He says ‘I buried my dad, and I never went back and went visited the grave.’ That’s pretty harsh.”
Beau Knapp plays Jeremiah Dunmire’s son, Cole, in “Tulsa King.” Cole, who works in the family empire, strives to win the approval of his old-school father. When it was suggested to Knapp in an interview that Patrick’s character can be scary, Knapp said, “Absolutely. Imagine sitting across from him when he’s doing that. He’s the sweetest man, too. He’s just lovely. But when it’s time to do business, it’s no joke. I think he brought a lot of great things to each scene between the two of us.”
“Tulsa King” stars Sylvester Stallone as New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi. After 25 years in prison, Manfredi is dispatched to Tulsa to carve out a territory all his own. But, in the current season of the series, Tulsa may not be big enough for Manfredi and the Dunmires.
The next episode arrives Sunday, Oct. 12, on Paramount+. Following are selected questions and responses from the interview with Patrick:
I love what you bring to “Tulsa King.” It’s hard to find someone who can go head-to-head with Stallone, but you’re holding your own.
“You need a lot of help. The way they decided to film me, they just made me an imposing figure. They are helping me out quite a bit with the cinematography. Apparently I’ve got my own theme music. They’re helping me sell the formidable adversary. And, yes, it’s tough — standing in there, toe-to-toe with Sylvester Stallone, for crying out loud. It’s not easy.”
You don’t want to cross Jeremah Dunmire. For you, where does the character come from?
“Well, it’s a family tradition that has been passed down for years and years. He’s got blood in his veins and he’s got whiskey in his veins. He’s a generational guy, so he’s got a strong foundation of this is the way the Dunmires do it, and this is how we do it, and, boy, you’re going to do it. So that was how he was raised and that’s how he’s raising his son. Maybe he thinks he’s soft with his son. I don’t know.
“But you’ve got to imagine it’s a legacy thing, and it’s important to this guy. And what else is important to this guy is his relationship with the Lord. … So he’s got a real strong foundation to stand on and, in Jeremiah Dunmire’s eyes, he’s being invaded. He’s being invaded by an adversary from across the country. He’s got this New York guy coming in, muscling in on his turf, and he’s not intimidated. He’s not afraid. I don’t think Jeremiah Dunmire is afraid to die. … He’s ready to go toe-to-toe. I’ll fight you till we’re done. It’s that kind of thing.”
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You engaged in some fun on social media by posting a video clip from the 1997 movie “Cop Land.” The clip shows Stallone’s character from the film shooting your character. (Accompanying the video was this message from Patrick to Stallone: You got me last time @TheSlyStallone (aka “The General”) let’s see how we do @TulsaKing Season 3! I’m coming for you!)
“I wanted to play into that, our past history, because, you know, he did kill me in ‘Cop Land.’”
And in the 2002 movie “D-Tox” also?
“He didn’t kill me in ‘D-Tox.’ Somebody else killed me in ‘D-Tox,’ but he did kill me in ‘Cop Land.’ So I just had some fun (with the social media post). The (‘Tulsa King’) scripts were coming to me as they were coming. I knew where I was starting with this character, but I didn’t know what the whole arc was going to be and what kind of scenes were going to be coming up to help sell this adversarial relationship. But every good protagonist is only as good as as the antagonist. So, the antagonist, he needs everything he can in his arsenal to make the protagonist look good.”
Are you having fun with this show?
“I loved it. Loved every moment of it. One of the classiest shows I’ve ever been a part of — everybody involved with it. Everybody. So much care. So much consideration. Courtesy. The directors that came through. Creatively, it was a wonderful, wonderful experience to be there and show up and do your thing. They gave you a lot of room to do your thing, and they’re all there making you look good, so you’ve just got to show up ready.”
Were you familiar with what took place the first two seasons?
“I’m a fan of the show. I watched it. I know Neal McDonough. I’ve worked with Neal. I’ve worked with Frank Grillo. There’s a couple of guys on the show who I’ve also been watching their work over the years. I worked with Taylor Sheridan before as well, the producer and creator of the show. I did ‘1923’ with him and Harrison Ford. So I was a fan of the show. I, personally, being a guy that respects Sylvester and him as an artist and what he’s done with his life and created, I’m happy for him that this role came along, because it’s such a great role for him to play a mafia guy. He’s never done that before. I think he’s just thriving in it. I think he’s having a ball.”
From a screen time standpoint, Stallone has been Manfredi longer than he was Rocky or Rambo.
“That’s the thing, too. It’s a whole new platform for him. So he’s had to adjust as an artist, as an actor. He’s had to adjust to the grind of doing a show like this, and it’s hard. I mean, think about it. I come in and do my bit, but I’ve got time to really prep and study and show up and be formidable. That’s my job. I’ve got to show up ready to make him look good, to make us all look good, and be ready. And he’s got to study, study, study, study because he’s got all these other scenes and things going on. He’s rewriting the script. He’s doing this. He’s doing that. He’s got so much on his plate, and he can handle it. Don’t get me wrong. He shows up ready. But I think it’s much more demanding for him and it’s interesting that it’s happening for him at this stage in his career.”
Because you are in “Tulsa King,” I was going to ask if you have had experiences in “real” Tulsa. In researching your background, I learned you have ridden across the country on a motorcycle about a dozen times, so of course you’ve been through Tulsa.
“The motorcycle experience for me is really, really great as an actor. One, I get to keep reminding myself how great this country is and I get to meet people along the way. But I also like to watch and observe people and see people and meet people. And certainly, there are people that I’ve met in my lifetime that I’m drawing from (for) Jeremiah Dunmire. It’s forming that character for me. You know, most people that I’ve met who are intense and have had an intense background and are capable of great violence, they’re very unassuming people and they’re not boisterous, big, loud or anything. They’re really kind of quiet, matter-of-factly, and look you’re right in the eye and let you know they’re going to kill you. I think riding across the country and meeting some of the people I’ve met really informs me as an actor. I enjoy doing it so much. And I do know about Tulsa, I have been through Tulsa. Heck, I’ve been to Oklahoma I don’t know how many times. Great people there. Wonderful people.”
You’ve done the Route 66 journey?
“Oh, hell yeah. I’ve been all over the United States of America. I love riding my Harley-Davidson.”
Anything you want to say about “Tulsa King” that we haven’t talked about yet?
“I just hope people are enjoying it, man, because it’s the best of the best out there. We’re working hard to tell a good story, and I hope they’re having fun and they’re being entertained.”
jimmie.tramel@tulsaworld.com
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Jimmie Tramel
Tulsa World Scene Reporter
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