Actors Robert Patrick and Beau Knapp talk to The Inside Reel about antagonists, legacy, the context of villains and family in regards to their new characters in the third seasons of the Paramount+ series: “Tulsa King”.
00:00This could be the greatest opportunity of my life, and it comes with danger.
00:24Is that a ghost?
00:26Oh, I bet ain't nobody seen that coming.
00:32Tulsa King, a new season streaming September 21st.
00:34Character work, it always comes from like a baseline, I would think, you know, and here it's with these two characters, it's family.
00:40No matter what they do, no matter what power struggles there are, it's about family.
00:44Can you talk about finding that? Because that's a dynamic that works very well here.
00:48And obviously, Robert, even with Peacemaker, you know, you had to play that from a different point of view.
00:54Yeah, well, there's a there's a lot of characters, certainly a lot of work that I've done.
01:00I've been doing it 41 years, so there's a lot of things I could draw from.
01:03But there's a lot of people I know in life.
01:05And I certainly, you know, use some of that as well.
01:09But the family dynamic is what was really interesting about the Dunmiers.
01:14You know, we're a family steeped in tradition, started moonshining, became distillers, legitimate business people.
01:22And now, you know, we're being threatened by this this mobster and we've heard about him and didn't really think we're going to have to deal with him until he took an interest in the distillery business.
01:35So that was certainly one of the major things.
01:42But also the father-son relationship was really important.
01:45And that'll be revealed as the show continues.
01:48You'll see, you know, what what is the dynamic between Jeremiah and his son, Cole?
01:55Cole, you see little glimpses of him doing different things that are different from his father.
02:00And it was probably trying to bring that out, bring those moments out, like in front of the in front of the club, in front of Dwight's club, for example.
02:07That's not giving you anything away.
02:09Absolutely.
02:09I think that this the Dunmiers are a very intimate family and it's all about family and tradition.
02:18Nicole, he has a good heart, but he and but he adores his father.
02:22And it doesn't matter what he is.
02:25He'll do it at all costs just to get his father's approval.
02:28But I think he's he's walking that fine line of of of who he wants to be.
02:34Taste this.
02:36He's selling his business.
02:39Booze will shine.
02:40This is history most likely started by the Italians.
02:43Wasn't that English, Scottish, Irish?
02:46The Italians brought breadsticks.
02:50What did you think?
02:51I wasn't going to hear about this.
02:52What's my cut?
02:54You looking to start a war, Bill?
02:55Well, you don't think anything's possible.
02:58You sure about this tail vehicle we've chosen?
03:01Just saying.
03:02Totally invisible.
03:05Who do you want to take out the competition?
03:08Jeremiah Dunlap.
03:10He's the tyrant of Tolson.
03:11I am obligated to destroy everything you have built and everyone you love.
03:19You know, it's interesting.
03:20What you just said, Bo, it reminds me of a dynamic of a movie I did with Joaquin Phoenix,
03:29Walk the Line.
03:30And real life, you know, that's Johnny Cash and Johnny's relationship with his father.
03:37And it was pretty brutal, you know, and the old man was hard on him.
03:42And Dunmire is pretty hard on Cole and what he expects of Cole.
03:48And Cole's, I'm getting into Bo's territory, but Cole, you know, has to try to either live
03:55up to what his dad's expectations are or buck tradition and stand up for himself.
04:02And I think that's ultimately what I'm pushing him to do is find his own feet, you know, and
04:08be his own man.
04:09But there's also this legacy, the whole thing about generational, you know, New York's New
04:13York, you know, with Dwight.
04:15But then Oklahoma is really, really steeped old school, you know, and the way you play
04:21it, even the stillness, even like walking into the bar at one point, it's just like two
04:27tigers against each other, Robert.
04:29And that's, you know, par for par with Sly.
04:32Can you sort of talk about that and finding the energy dynamic in that relationship?
04:36Well, Tim, that's interesting, because I've worked with Sly before.
04:40I did Copland and another movie.
04:42But, you know, I was always an antagonist for his protagonist.
04:46And I felt very, very comfortable being around Sly.
04:52I'm very comfortable with Sly.
04:53I'm used to working with him.
04:54I knew what he was going to bring, and I knew what he was expecting me to bring.
05:00And it was really just a lot of fun.
05:02Show up, be prepared, be ready to go toe-to-toe and see where the scene takes us.
05:07And so I enjoyed it immensely.
05:10Jamiah, what do I owe the pleasure?
05:18The pleasure's mine, sir.
05:20Mine and your other visitor.
05:22I called right away, as soon as he left.
05:26Why does he think you're in play?
05:29He doesn't.
05:30I'm not.
05:31You're the only person a man paid a visit to.
05:34I am not doing business with him.
05:38I swear.
05:39You never will.
05:44Whoa.
05:45Hey, hey, hey, hey!
05:46Hey, hold on!
05:47Ah!
05:55Cole, can you talk about that as well?
05:57But, you know, bringing, because there's such an energy and a physicality to him,
06:01that's different than the way you're playing it, Robert.
06:03Because you played still.
06:04We'll probably see it a lot more, you know, as you go along in the season.
06:08But can you talk about physicality, informing emotionality,
06:11or playing that chess game with that physicality?
06:16Yeah, I think Cole is, he's an extension of his father, for sure.
06:19And I think he has a lot of confidence, even though all of him,
06:23he's built off of insecurity and fear.
06:28But he's an antagonist at the same time.
06:32You know, like, his function is to disturb the herd.
06:35And, like, no doubt about it.
06:37He's there to cause a ruckus.
06:40But at the same time, it's that duality where he's fighting the light and the dark.
06:44But, yeah, as a physicality, I mean, I think Cole works out his muscles a little too much.
06:53But it's, you know, he does what he has to do to feel powerful.
06:56Did you tell your dad you saw me?
06:59Mitch, he almost shot you with a corpse last time.
07:01You didn't answer my question.
07:03I think I did.
07:04No, you didn't.
07:06Besides, it was a long time ago.
07:09I'm since reformed.
07:11You've always been charming.
07:13You ain't never been reformed.
07:16My word.
07:18Your prodigal daughter's done returned.
07:21Cole Dunmire.
07:22You know, Mitch, it's a long time, cowboy.
07:27Now it's a roping and doping these days.
07:29Oh, shit.
07:31I ain't been on the circuit a long time.
07:33What can I say?
07:34You had that pain problem.
07:36Because power, you know, you can play something mythic, but, you know, you can't really play metaphor.
07:41You have to play grounded.
07:42You have to play what this person knows how to do.
07:46You know, and a villain never thinks of himself as the villain.
07:48You know, there's never truly pure evil in somebody.
07:51You know, there's certain points that have led them to this point.
07:55Could you talk about that, about backstory?
07:58Because the thing is, there's so much that happened in both these guys' lives, especially with Jeremiah.
08:03You know, not to say anything about the biblical reference, because I'm sure, you know, Sheridan really keyed into that as well.
08:10But can you talk about looking at backstory?
08:12I mean, even on the X-Files, you had to do that.
08:15Could you talk about that?
08:16Well, yeah, absolutely.
08:18Well, it all comes from some place.
08:20And the Dunmire character, the way I looked at it was the traditions had been passed down to him.
08:28So what was his father like?
08:29And what was his father's expectation?
08:31And how was he raised?
08:33He was raised a devout Christian.
08:36And he's trying to pass that on to Cole.
08:40But it's all about protecting your family, your family's legacy, standing for something, standing for your name.
08:48And you'll fight when your back's against the wall, which is, you know, what's happening when they cut into our territory.
08:55I love that.
08:56I thought they did such a great job of introducing my character and explaining that in the opening sequence.
09:03You know, who's this guy?
09:05Who's this guy?
09:06What's this moonshine?
09:07What's this still?
09:08Who is this guy?
09:09Oh, my gosh.
09:10He walks in and then there's this mansion, you know.
09:13And then, you know, he's telling his son to bow his head and say a prayer before we eat, before we do anything.
09:18So there's a lot of things that are, you know, in Jeremiah's life, the way he wants it, the way he thinks, what he expects.
09:27So I thought they did a wonderful job of introducing our characters.
09:32Oh, and then the prison problem.
09:35Well, now you slay your taxes and dress up like a clown.
09:38I forgot.
09:40Yeah, I forgot what a brain dead daddy's boy did for you.
09:45What do you want, Cole?
09:46Well, I can think of a number of things.
09:49Hey, let's cut the f*** out.
09:51How is he a hero?
09:53Let's come to deliver a message.
09:56You know, for my daddy, to yours.
09:58So deliver it, man.
10:01It's good to see you.
10:04You too.
10:06We'll see you around.
10:08You have to look at legacy.
10:09You have to look at how his backstory, how his father raised him, and how he became who he is.
10:15Absolutely.
10:15I think that, you know, like we said before, you know, whiskey is in their blood, you know, passed down generation to generation with all the dark legacies.
10:24And that's the thing.
10:25You know, we talk about antagonists or villains.
10:28But, like, to me, my father was a good man.
10:30And a lot of tragedy, you know, a lot of tragic things happen.
10:33And a lot of heartbreak happen.
10:35And the world turns you vicious, you know.
10:38And especially when someone's trying to come and take your territory, it's all understandable in some logic.
10:44But, yeah, I mean, this family is built off of legacy and tradition and family.
10:51Yeah.
10:51And that's what's so disturbing, Tim, is that they're rocking our world, so to speak.
10:58And so I'm starting to – I don't want to give away too much, but you'll see it as it unfolds.
11:03You know, we start to have some questions about the way things are going.
11:06And I think it's going to be really interesting for the viewers.
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