Tina Kakadelis
No one takes a punch as well as Sylvester Stallone. Well, almost no one, but Freddie Poole is one of those people. For fifteen years, Poole has been collaborating with Stallone on all of his projects. Stallone has spent the past few years working on Tulsa King and so has Poole. For every episode of the two seasons, with the third on the way, Poole has been Stallone’s stunt double. But that’s not all he’s been doing. Poole is a two-time Emmy-nominated Stunt Coordinator for his work on the show and serves as the Second Unit Director.
No one becomes Stallone’s longtime collaborator overnight. Poole’s story begins in the ’90s with Walker, Texas Ranger. It’s unusual for a first job to be as glamorous as getting beaten up by your self-proclaimed childhood hero, in this case Chuck Norris, but that’s what made Poole realize this could be a career for him.
“It was so surreal to me that it didn’t quite register on that first day,” smiles Poole. “I was blessed and fortunate to be surrounded by veterans in the industry. It was such a big show at the time. We were constantly shooting two units with a lot of big action on the show. It really helped me shape who I am now as a coordinator, but also back then as a performer.”
It’s clear that Poole never forgot those early days on Walker, Texas Ranger. Now Poole is one of the veterans of the industry who is welcoming young stunt performers onto the set of Tulsa King, one of the most stunt-heavy shows on TV. Years from now, there will hopefully be a stunt performer-turned-coordinator who fondly remembers getting beaten up by Stallone under the guidance of Poole.
“The advice I give to the young ones is to just be observant of what’s going on around you. I was so mesmerized just being in the room with Chuck Norris that I didn’t have that awareness,” recounts Poole. “Looking back, that’s something I would have loved to have been more aware of. What does the props department do? Maybe watch hair and makeup a little more closely and how they do what they do. Same with special effects. Now I work with those guys hand-in-hand every day.”
“I always evaluate my stunts and go, all right, how does this affect the props department,” says Poole. “What do we need from the wardrobe department? A lot of young stunt guys are gung ho to get out there and fight or wreck cars or whatever. Then it’s off to crafty for snacks. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but maybe hang out for 10 or 15 minutes before you go to the craft table. Watch and learn what’s going on around you.”
When watching action movies, a lot of viewers aren’t looking at the specific way the characters fight. They aren’t consciously picking up on the fact that storytelling exists in these explosive moments. Beyond the way the cars explode, there’s still a narrative that’s being pushed forward, and that’s something Poole never forgets.
“It comes down to style and tone, first of all,” states Poole. “If you understand that, then I think the approach to choreographing and creating the action is going to be a lot easier. Tulsa King, for example, is not a heavy action show in the sense of martial arts. We’re not a superhero show. You’re not going to see things you’d see in a Marvel movie. It calls for a different style.”
“Then it just comes down to storytelling through action. Acting is storytelling through dialogue. We do it with movement. It goes back to being able to effectively break down your script and go, oh, okay, here’s our action sequence. It’s this beat that needs to be told, that beat that needs to be told.”
“Some writers will leave you with a blank piece of paper, so to speak. They’ll say action and a fight ensues,” explains Poole. “At that point, it comes down to meeting with your director and saying, okay, what do we really want to see? You don’t want to fall into the trap of, well, I think this move looks cool. Well, yeah, it looks cool on a Marvel film, but not on our show.”
Poole describes the style and tone of Tulsa King as “a little more raw, visceral as far as the look and feel.” Stallone plays mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi who’s sent to Tulsa after spending 25 years in jail. Someone who spent his life in the mafia is not going to fight with grace. He’s going to punch first and ask questions later, throw a fire extinguisher at someone’s face, and lead a group to a fight armed only with baseball bats.
“Let’s face it, a bat can do a lot of damage,” laughs Poole. “We had to figure things out and say, okay, if we’re going to strike someone with a bat, are we going to see them again? Maybe it’s a hit across the back, or maybe it’s a jab in a stabbing motion that just stuns the opposition versus just taking them out.”
“We’re talking about tone and style again. The process for me has always been who am I working with? Is this something where I take it upon myself to create the entire thing, or do I collaborate?” poses Poole. “In this particular instance, I’m always going to collaborate with Sylvester Stallone. We’re going to sit down, talk through some ideas and concepts, and then figure things out.”
“That’s what makes this relationship so unique and special. It’s the fact that we just bounce things off each other. There have been times when he’s just like, hey, you figure it out,” laughs Poole. “What makes our relationship work and feel special is because it’s friendly and professional.”
The question that’s always on the mind of the viewer when watching stunts like this is when does the actor tap out and the stunt performer come in. It’s a matter of safety. Actors aren’t trained in the same way of fighting safely to protect themselves from injury. That’s why it’s important for coordinators to make the call when it’s time for a stunt performer to step in.
As for when it’s Stallone and when it’s Poole? The answer is a lot simpler than you might realize.
“Do you see this frame right now?” asks Poole, gesturing to the Zoom window. “You see this box that I’m in? That’s when it’s him, when it’s close. Then he’s wrapped. Part of my job is to protect him. He’s 79 now, and he still wants to get in there and do it. We limit the number of takes. Let’s get the close-up. That hero moment, that hero shot.”
“I sit in a prosthetic chair for two hours to get made up with prosthetics to finish it,” Poole goes on. “I have Stallone’s mannerisms down. I have his movement down. We still can’t shoot me in a close-up. You’re going to know it’s not him, but we can do a nice three-quarter shot or sometimes even a profile, depending on the lighting, and get away with it.”
The 2025 Emmy Awards will be held on September 14 and Poole is nominated for Outstanding Stunt Coordination for Comedy Programming. This marks his second nomination. The ceremony airs one week before Tulsa King’s third season premieres on Paramount+. With the upcoming season, Poole seeks to outdo himself as Stallone is joined by heavyweight stars like Robert Patrick, James Russo, and Samuel L. Jackson.
“For some reason, it just never crossed my mind that I would get any recognition for anything because I show up, do my job, and go home,” offers Poole. “ I’m not one to show it and I need to do better at showing excitement when I get this recognition. I’m trying to be more excited about it.”
“I am inside! I’m ecstatic. On the outside, I’m always like, okay, I’m just going to keep it professional,” continues Poole. “But no, it truly is an honor. Especially on this level and on this stage. I think when you get nominated for an Emmy, it really shows you’re one of the top people at what you’re doing.”
