Tulsa King Season 2 Casting Agency Quits As Background Actors Allege Toxic Sylvester Stallone Set

A casting agency involved in Tulsa King season 2 has quit following allegations of a toxic work environment on set of the upcoming TV series. Created by Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, the show stars Sylvester Stallone as Dwight Manfredi, a Mafia member in charge of his group’s new operations in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Season 2 began filming earlier this year in Atlanta, Georgia.

Now, Deadline reports that Rose Locke Casting of Atlanta has quit Tulsa King season 2 following disparaging comments made about background actors by Stallone and an unnamed director.

The agency announced in the above Facebook post that they will no longer be working on the series after Friday, April 12, sending well wishes to whoever takes their place. While this public announcement doesn’t mention why, reports indicate offensive comments toward background actors was the core reason.

Tulsa King’s Alleged Toxic Work Environment Explained

According to Deadline, Stallone and a director referred to extras using comments like “ugly” and “tub of lard” to describe them. The star of the series also reportedly made fun of them for being overweight and handicapped, requesting the impacted extras be replaced by “pretty young girls.” One extra who was called a “fat guy with cane” expressed how much the comment had hurt to hear, indicating the kinds of emotional damage done to extras because of these comments.

Casting director Rose Locke attested to this behavior, seeing it happen on Friday and resigning at the end of the day. She informed clients on a private Facebook page to share any experiences of toxicity they’d had on set, either through the page itself or by contacting her directly. Other pages for background actors are also sharing this story, praising Rose Locke Casting for stepping out of the project in order to protect those who work as extras.

What Toxicity Allegations Mean For Tulsa King Season 2

While Tulsa King season 2’s story relies on its starring actors, extras are just as important roles to help flesh out the series and make its world feel lived-in. These allegations of cast members being disparaged doesn’t bode well for the overall work environment of the show. Since Rose Locke Casting won’t be working on the series after this week, it remains to be seen what will happen when another casting agency replaces them.

However, given how public these allegations have now become, it could deter most casting agencies from having their extras appear in the series. While this may delay Tulsa King season 2 as production tries to find a solution, it would keep actors from having to endure the toxic environment Locke’s company can attest to. It’s possible more information and detailed accounts will become public as the company finishes out the week working on the series.

Source: Deadline