Is Karen, who was recently introduced on Tulsa King, played by Talia Shire of Rocky fame?
Paramount+'s Tulsa King explores the criminal element of Tulsa, Oklahoma as Sylvester Stallone’s Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a former member of the Mafia, sets up shop in the Sooner State after being exiled from the mob.
The series has been a success for its streaming home of Paramount+ and saw its audience expand when CBS broadcasted Tulsa King’s first season over the summer.
Does Talia Shire Play Karen in Tulsa King?
The second episode of Season 2 of Tulsa King saw the arrival of a bank manager character named Karen Kriscoe to the Sylvester Stallone-led series. Due to the character’s appearance, many audience members have been curious to know if Karen is played by Talia Shire.
Shire played Adrian, the love interest and later wife of Rocky Balboa, arguably Stallone’s most iconic character. Adrian Pennino-Balboa appeared in the first five entries of the Rocky canon, portrayed by Talia Shire each time.
Below is a still of Shire as Teddie in the Netflix comedy Grace and Frankie:
So, naturally, a portion of Tulsa King fans have wondered if Karen Kriscoe, with her slight build and dark hair, is Talia Shire. After all, there does exist a bit of a resemblance between the two. But the actress behind Karen is actually Joanna Walchuk.
Walchuk is an actor and director who has recently appeared in shows like DC’s Naomi and the 2021 film Crime Story.
Is There Still Room for Talia Shire in Tulsa King?
Despite a supposed Talia Shire guest spot on Tulsa King turning out to be a bust, one must wonder, could the actress still show up on the series?
It does seem like this, at the very least, exists within the realm of possibility. Shire has a healthy amount of television credits to her name, mostly for guest starring roles and TV movies, which she has accumulated over a 50+ year career.
Not to mention that her relationship with former Rocky co-star Sylvester Stallone seems to be quite amicable. In fact, the pair are good friends.
Stallone celebrated Shire’s birthday in 2023 with a thoughtful Instagram post that called her “my greatest leading Lady ever”. And in 2016, Shire labeled Stallone as "brilliant" following his performance in Creed (via Page Six).
It stands to reason that the closeness of Stallone and Shire, coupled with the fact that Shire has often guested on TV shows, could mean there’s potential for her to crop up on Tulsa King, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
But to reunite the duo on-screen would be a good bit of stunt casting and undoubtedly put many more eyes on Tulsa King.
The next episode of Tulsa King Season 2, titled ”Oklahoma v. Manfredi”, will be available on Paramount+ starting Sunday, September 29.
