Sylvester Stallone isn’t denying that nepotism has played a part in his daughter’s acting career.
The 80-year-old actor addressed criticism surrounding his daughter Scarlet Rose Stallone’s growing role in Season 4 of Tulsa King, openly admitting that her casting in the Paramount+ series is an example of nepotism.
Speaking with USA TODAY, Stallone defended celebrity parents who use their industry connections to create opportunities for their children, arguing that helping them get ahead is part of being a parent.
“First they go, ‘Nepotism is terrible.’ I said, ‘Oh please, you’re not a good parent if you haven’t performed a little nepotism. Then obviously you don’t care about your kids, because they come first,'” Stallone said.
“Of course it’s nepotism, you idiot. That’s why we’re parents. We want the best for our children. So obviously we let them have every advantage.”
Scarlet, 24, joined Tulsa King in its first season, playing Spencer, a barista who eventually becomes a stable hand. Since then, her character has become increasingly involved in the criminal operation led by her father’s character, Dwight “The General” Manfredi.
Although Stallone has no issue admitting that his daughter benefits from his Hollywood connections, he maintains that getting an opportunity and proving yourself once you have it are two different things.
“Can they maintain that level of excellence? That’s out of our hands,” he explained. “But if you can open the door, we’ll see if they have the ability to go through it.”
The actor also conceded that critics may have a valid point when questioning how easily the children of famous entertainers can secure acting roles.
“People will say, ‘She got that job, it’s too easy.’ You’re right. Perhaps it could be. But to maintain that, to be in front of millions of people, you either got it or you don’t.”
Stallone’s comments come as Tulsa King returns for its fourth season, which premiered October 16.
The Taylor Sheridan-produced crime drama follows Manfredi, a New York mobster who sets up a criminal empire in Oklahoma after serving 25 years in prison.
In Season 4, Manfredi faces familiar rivals and fresh threats as he works to expand his influence in the criminal underworld.
The show’s success has also paved the way for an upcoming spinoff, Frisco King, starring Samuel L. Jackson as gangster Russell Lee Washington Jr., who sets out to establish his own criminal operation in Texas.
