Sylvester Stallone Accused of Disparaging Tulsa King Background Actors, Director Denies Allegations

Casting supervisor Rose Locke has accused Sylvester Stallone of using insulting remarks to describe the background extras on the set of his Paramount+ series. 

Just recently, Stallone teased his fans on social media with a big update on the second season of Tulsa King, claiming “You have no idea what’s coming. Trust me.” 

But mere days after officially hard-launching the production of the Taylor Sheridan masterpiece, it experienced a setback amid reports of behind-the-scenes controversy.

According to Locke, Stallone was observed calling the director over and saying “F*** is up with these F****** ugly background.” The two then described the extras using offensive terms like “ugly,” “tub of lard,” and “fat guy with cane.” 

The actor to whom the last comment was directed said that it “hurt his soul” to be described in that way.

Locke also alleges that Stallone asked for “pretty young girls to be around me” on set.

The Atlanta-based casting company announced its departure from the series on its Facebook page on Sunday. In the wake of the allegations, representatives noted, “We wanted to send you an update on the happenings here in our casting world. We have chosen to part ways with Tulsa King. We will be finishing up next week and the 12th will be our last day.”

“We send well wishes to whoever takes over the show. We thank all of you great background artists for your continued support,” the post concluded.

In response, the show’s director and executive producer, Craig Zisk, refuted these statements, claiming that “no such insults were hurled” at the extras on the set. 

He says Locke, who was not on the set on the day of the alleged encounter, quit because she was called out for not doing her job right and casting the wrong extras.

He clarified that since the scene was set in a “hip, young bar,” the plan was to hire 25 to 35-year-olds, but the extras cast by Locke were considerably older. Zick said he still worked with the extras and that they were “polite and did their jobs.” 

The director of Paramount+’s original series Tulsa King had a tête-à-tête with Locke about the situation, and that’s when he claims the situation escalated. He recounted asking the casting director to submit headshots of extras moving forward, so he could make sure they were more reflective of the scenes’ premises.

Based on Zisk’s account, Locke responded with, “I don’t work that way.”

“That’s the way I work and everyone I know works that way in casting,” Zisk reportedly reiterated.

The director said Locke initially agreed but quit an hour after the conversation.

Zick also offered insight into another allegation—that Sly asked for “pretty girls” to be around him. He said that there’s no truth to it, adding that Stallone’s wife, Jennifer Flavin, was on set during filming.

Facebook pages for background actors, like Charleston SC Background Actors/Crew, have joined in the conversation. One of their posts reads, “At first I had hoped it was just a bad rumor started by 1 person who may have felt some type of way; but there have been countless people who were on set and have stated what they saw, how they were treated, etc.”

“Sadly, it seems Sly Stallone and crew made things miserable for the background artists and many have said the set was completely unprofessional and a total mess. Although I have not personally worked with Rose Locke & CL Casting…I have great respect for them for pulling out of the project and looking out for their background artists.”