Tulsa King Season 3 raises the stakes for Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone) and his crew as a brand-new enemy emerges to try and spoil their rise to the top of Oklahoma's hierarchy of power. The latest season of the hit Paramount+ series continued major storylines from Season 2, such as the unlikely alliance between Manfredi and Bill Bevilaqua (Frank Grillo), the ramifications of Jimmy's tragic death, and the cliffhanger ending where the FBI took Manfredi into custody in the finale's closing moments.
Tulsa King Season 3 has plenty in store as Manfredi's ambitions to expand his influence and power in Oklahoma led him to another target: a distillery. This newfound business venture has close ties to one of his loyal enforcers, Mitch Keller, because the daughter (Cleo) of the owner of the local bourbon distillery they are trying to purchase is his old flame. Buying the distillery brings Manfredi's crew into an inevitable clash with Jeremiah Dunmire (Robert Patrick), a ruthless and shady businessman who has tons of connections.
The Direct sat down with the cast of Tulsa King Season 3 to talk about character evolutions, their hopes for the new season, and exciting storylines that fans wouldn't want to miss.
Season 3 introduced a fresh storyline for Mitch Keller after his old friend, Cleo (Bella Heathcote), returned to his life, but it gets far more complicated due to the involvement of her family's distillery business and the dangers caused by the Dunmires.
Garrett Hedlund, who plays Mitch, shared that "their history was undeniable for him," noting that there's "something that he just can't quit about her." When asked if Mitch would be willing to sacrifice everything for her, he said that "he would go the distance to protect her, unquestionably, absolutely."
Meanwhile, Tulsa King Season 2's cliffhanger ending saw masked men barging into Margaret Devereaux's bedroom to abduct a vulnerable Dwight Manfredi during the middle of the night. It was later revealed that it was the FBI who wanted to use Manfredi for their own advantage.
Dana Delany, the woman behind Margaret Devereaux, explained how this encounter would affect her character's relationship with Dwight in Season 3, noting, "I think she has to decide, ‘Is this the kind of life I want? Is being with Dwight worth all the stuff that goes with being with Dwight? And I think we know what the answer is."
Tulsa King Season 2 had a major death after Jimmy was shot dead by one of Belivaqua's men in broad daylight. Jimmy's best friend, Bodhi (played by Martin Starr), was clearly devastated by the aftermath. Starr confirmed that Bodhi is "out for blood" in the early part of Season 3, seemingly hinting that he will go out of his way to seek revenge for his friend's death.
The entire cast that The Direct's Aeron Eclarinal spoke with includes Garret Hedlund (Mitch Keller), Bella Heathcote (Cleo Montague), Jay Will (Tyson), Martin Starr (Bodhi), Annabelle Sciorra (Joanne Manfredi), Dana Delany (Margaret Devereaux), and Kevin Pollak (Special Agent Musso).
The full conversation can be read below:
Garrett Hedlund & Bella Heathcote on Tulsa King Season 3's New Romance
One of the newcomers of Tulsa King Season 3 is Bella Heathcote as Cleo Montague, the only daughter of a renowned distillery owner who has a romantic past with Mitch. The pair reunites in Season 3, and she slowly becomes integral to Dwight Manfredi's core group.
- The Direct: "What is it like joining such an incredible cast and acting alongside the likes of Sylvester Stallone and Robert Patrick?"
Bella Heathcote: “It’s incredibly intimidating on day one, but everyone made me feel so welcome, and it's just been a lot of fun. Cleo is a lot of fun. She's a troublemaker. She's very flirty, she's very sassy. She's got a lot of history with [Mitch]. And, you know, she comes to town because her dad's got this distillery that's in trouble, and she wants to help him out, but she very quickly gets sucked back into Mitch’s vortex.”
Mitch and Cleo's strong chemistry is apparent right off the bat in Tulsa King Season 3, and it's clear that their bond was built on a strong foundation from their past that carried over into the present.
- The Direct: "What can you tease about Mitch and Cleo’s dynamic as the season progresses? Because I think Cleo is Mitch's weakness, which can be exploited by Dwight Manfredi’s enemies."
Garrett Hedlund: “Just never a dull moment, which is wonderful. And it's refreshing within this series that it's chaos after chaos after chaos ensuing. And so when I was watching the episodes the other night, you know, I found myself doing that, like a little smile, learning, gosh, you know that? And I was just really enjoying watching, which was a new experience, even for me, watching the show. But also, look, when we're shooting, we had a blast as well."
Bella Heathcote: “It's funny that, you know, there are all these tropes about ‘will they, won't they,’ and I feel like there's a bit of that in the show. But it's also like, ‘should they or shouldn't they?’ With these two, there's just a lot of trouble."
- The Direct: "Garrett, you are in a unique position because I think the conflict with Robert Patrick’s character, Jeremiah Dunmire, is closer to Mitch because of his ties with Cleo. It is like a ticking time bomb. Is it possible that Mitch would take matters into his own hands down the line to protect Cleo?"
Garrett Hedlund: “Yeah, yeah. It's very possible. You know, I don't want to give too much away, but look, their history was undeniable for him, and obviously for her as well. And there's something that he just can't quit about her, and I think we really root for them to find that happily ever after for once. And so it's wonderful to watch that, but just based on Mitch’s conscience and his morals, he would go the distance to protect her, unquestionably, absolutely.”
Dana Delany & Kevin Pollak on New Stories & Characters In Tulsa King Season 3
Another new character in Tulsa King Season 3 is Kevin Pollak's Special Agent Musso, an FBI Agent who is forcing Dwight Manfredi to work with him in the brand-new batch of episodes. He is expected to stir up some trouble in Manfredi's life.
- The Direct: Special Agent Musso is interesting and intimidating. One of the early things that audiences will learn about him is that he has a certain grip on Dwight Manfredi, which is unique. Can you tell us more about your experience working with Sylvester Stallone, and can you tease your character’s dynamic with him in Season 3?
Kevin Pollak: “[Sylvester Stallone] and I had not met, let alone worked together prior to this, which we both found surprising. He was an inspiration to us all, and early in his career, to not only wrote brilliantly the film Rocky, and then the wherewithal to insist on being the lead when no one thought that was a good idea. So as a writer myself, I've always been inspired by him, but then to meet and work with Mount Rushmore, size superstar, has happened for me in the past, on a few occasions, you just never know what you're going to be in for, right? And he's a tremendous leader, but also a bit of a mother hen. He looks after everyone and makes sure that everyone's having a good time. He is an extraordinary scene partner and also inspiration."
While not much is known about Special Agent Musso's hidden agenda against Manfredi, it seems that he knows how to push his buttons, which makes him a threat to his operations.
- The Direct: What can you tease us about what's the secrets of Special Agent Musso in Season 3?
Kevin Pollak: “I can only tell you that Special Agent Musso has designs for Manfredi that Manfredi is perhaps unaware of, but prepared for.”
Margaret Devereaux's complicated dynamic with Dwight Manfredi is expected to be pushed to the forefront in the new season, following the raid that took place in the Season 2 finale.
- The Direct: The last time fans saw Margaret was in the Season 2 finale when the FBI suddenly appeared inside your room and took Dwight. That was nerve-wracking. Can you tell us more about what Dana’s mindset was during that moment and how that encounter will affect your character’s relationship with Dwight in Season 3?
Dana Delany: “Well, I didn't know it was the FBI, that's for sure. I just know it was these strange men bursting into my bedroom, which you know can happen. In Season 3, I think she has to decide, ‘Is this the kind of life I want? Is being with Dwight worth all the stuff that goes with being with Dwight? And I think we know that the answer is yes."
Dana Delany and Kevin Pollak also teased that their characters will cross paths in the latter part of the season, and the confrontation will be "very intense."
- The Direct: Given that Special Agent Musso is in the FBI, the same agency that raided Margaret’s house. I think it’s inevitable that both of your characters will interact at some point in Season 3. Can you paint us a picture of how that interaction will happen? Will it be intense?
Kevin Pollak: (jokingly) "We've got a spin-off planned: Margaret and Musso."
Dana Delany: "What do you think?"
The Direct: "I think it will be intense."
Kevin Pollak: "Very intense. How do I steal [her] away from Dwight? I have no idea, but I'm gonna try."
Dana Delany: "We do cross paths later on in the season. There's a huge, big episode. Yes, I forgot about that. Yeah, that's a big one where we're all there together, and I say to Dwight, ‘Who is that, man?’ So obviously there's attraction…"
Kevin Pollak: "Hello! I like the sound of that."
Jay Will on Tyson's Evolution in Tulsa King Season 3
Jay Will's Tyson Mitchell has seen it all in Tulsa King. After starting as a lowly cab driver, he rose to the ranks and became one of Dwight Manfredi's loyal allies and enforcers. Despite that, he still needs to keep his emotions in check, especially after it got the best of him in Season 2 when his father became a victim of a bombing that almost killed him.
In Season 3, Tyson is still learning, but the main difference is that he has renewed confidence to help Dwight in whatever way he can.
- The Direct: I love your character, Tyson. I think he’s my favorite because of how complex his journey is in this show. I watched the first four episodes of Season 3, and he has a new look and a certain bravado and renewed confidence. Can you tell us more about what’s different from Tyson in Season 3?
Jay Will: "What direction do you want Tyson to go? What if? What do you want to see out of Tyson?"
The Direct: "I want to see him commit mistakes and learn from them."
Jay Will: "Well, you're gonna enjoy this season. Yeah, a lot of mistakes, mistakes committed and it's cool, getting out of it and building relationships around it. So it's yeah, it's going to be exciting. I'm very excited about it."
- The Direct: Jay, do you have a favorite scene in Season 3?
Jay Will: "From an actor's perspective, I had a lot of fun in the scenes where we got a little physical, got a little fighting going on. I had a lot of fun playing with the elements, with the actors, with the makeup, with the blood, and all of the stuff, the cosmetics, prosthetic stuff. Cos, yeah, it was fun. It was really fun. All the elements, Earth, Wind, and Fire."
Martin Starr Teases If Tulsa King Season 3 Pushes Bodhi to the Edge
Martin Starr's Bodhi has been Team Dwight ever since Tulsa King began, but something changed inside of him after his best friend, Jimmy, died in Season 2, Episode 8. It's reasonable to assume that Bodhi is out for blood in Season 3, and Starr also seems to think that that's his character's narrative trajectory.
- The Direct: "Martin, Bodhi is such a team player for Team Dwight throughout the first two seasons, but something inside changed him after his best friend Jimmy died in Season 2. Tell us more about Bodhi’s arc and if he will be pushed to the edge in Season 3?"
Martin Starr: “We tease that for sure, especially when we start out, he's out for blood, so we'll get to see where that goes."
- The Direct: "Do you think that Bodie will be pushed to the limit here in Season 3?"
Martin Starr: "Yeah, yeah. It would definitely tease that. You know, when your friend gets murdered, sometimes you just gotta act up a little bit, you know? I mean, we've all been there, right? Yes, totally common human experience."
Annabella Sciorra on Joanne Manfredi's Much Larger Role in Season 3
Annabella Sciorra's Joanne Manfredi is Dwight's younger sister, who initially distanced herself from her brother's mob life but chose to stay by his side amid everything. Season 3 will completely change Joanne's trajectory as she becomes more involved with the business due to the arrival of a brand new opportunity in the form of a distillery.
- The Direct: "Joanne has taken a big leap this season due to Dwight’s efforts to launch a distillery. I believe that your character is the glue of the family. With her active involvement in Dwight’s business, what can fans expect about Joanne in Tulsa King Season 3?"
Annabella Sciorra: "Yeah, she moves into a more powerful position and becomes Dwight's right hand and has a lot more to say about the business, the legitimate side of the businesses that he's involved with."
- The Direct: Do you have any more hopes for her this season?
Annabella Sciorra: "Well, she is more involved already. And I think that, you know, something happens that will, I hope, if there is a season four, embolden her to come into her power."
The full interviews can be viewed below:
Created by Tyler Sheridan, Tulsa King follows the story of Dwight Manfredi as he builds his empire in Tulsa, Oklahoma, from scratch after being imprisoned for 25 years. The series is headlined by Sylvester Stallone, Frank Grillo, Dana Delany, Annabella Sciorra, Jay Will, Martin Star, Vincent Piazza, Garrett Hedlund, and Season 3 newcomers Kevin Pollak, Bella Heathcote, and Robert Patrick.
Tulsa King Season 3 premieres on Paramount+ on Sunday, September 21, 2025.
