Sylvester Stallone admits he was terrified to face Samuel L. Jackson in 'Tulsa King'

Sylvester Stallone has revealed why he felt the heat to work with Samuel L. Jackson in Tulsa King.

In a talk with PEOPLE magazine about the recently released third season of the hit drama, which is streaming on Paramount+, the 79-year-old actor and filmmaker confessed that he felt the pressure after discovering Jackson was joining the cast.

Giving voice to his thoughts, Stallone said, “When I heard that was gonna happen, I went, 'Oh, this is gonna be a fist fight. This is gonna be a battle.’”

He added, “Like two boxers in a ring, and who is gonna throw the first punch? So you’re getting nervous because you’re dealing with serious competition.”

The Creed star, who plays the role of mafia boss Dwight “The General” Manfredi in the series Tulsa King, noted he eventually understood that Jackson’s inclusion would not bring any drama.

“Once he walks in, he goes, ‘Hey, dude brother,’ and I went, ‘Oh, here it goes.’ But now we’re good. Now we’re flowing. We could do a show called Tulsa King and Buddy. We just worked that well together,” he recalled.

Even though Tulsa King is the first time both stars worked together on-screen, the Escape Plan alum said they had actually been around each other for many years.

“We lived about a hundred yards away from each other for almost 30 years. Yet we didn’t— you know, we’re always working. So, we never really saw each other, except at Planet Hollywood-type things or openings,” Sylvester Stallone highlighted.