A double dose of Robert Patrick on Television.
Robert Patrick is having a career surge — again. The veteran actor, best known as the relentless T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, is busier than ever, appearing in two major fan-favorite series: Taylor Sheridan’s Tulsa King and James Gunn’s Peacemaker. “I’m lucky,” Patrick said. “I’ve got two out right now.”
In Tulsa King, Patrick plays Jeremiah Dunmire, a powerful new figure in Sylvester Stallone’s growing empire. “It was David [Glasser] who called me up and asked me,” Patrick explained. “When I got to the set and worked with Sly, I found out that Sly had kind of been the one to pick me… He knew what I was capable of. It’s not easy for him to find somebody to go toe to toe with.”
Building a New Kind of Villain
Patrick said his role as Tulsa King offered him the kind of rich, complex writing that actors dream of. “The writing for me is great,” he said. “It’s just juicy, and you can’t help but get excited about it. It’s like eating a nice ribeye. You know what I’m saying? It’s just like, oh God, I can’t believe they let me do this.”
He described Dunmire as one of the best characters he has played in years. “What a wonderful thing as an actor,” he added. “You want to do your work and have it be seen. The protagonist needs a great antagonist, and they know that. They gave me every opportunity to exploit all these assets.”
Patrick also praised the show’s ensemble cast. “It’s an old friend that I’ve worked with before, so I’m very familiar with Sly. Great other actors around to work with—Annabella Sciorra, great to see her again from Cop Land. Dana Delany… It’s just a wonderful cast.”
Inside the Sheridan Universe
Patrick credits Tulsa King creator Taylor Sheridan for crafting worlds that challenge actors. “There’s a common denominator here—it’s Taylor Sheridan,” Patrick said. “He’s really adept at creating these wonderful environments to tell stories.”
He admitted that working in TV can be unpredictable, but that’s part of the fun. “I didn’t have all the scripts,” he explained. “They told me who the guy was, and we ran with it. Some things were revealed to me as I read the scripts. You’d go, ‘Oh, wow, that’s interesting.’”
Patrick teased what’s coming next for his character. “You’re going to see the Attorney General, one of the guys that I have control over, starting to get a little squirmy,” he said. “That was played by a dear friend of mine, Tim Guinea… there’s some great characters coming down the pike. Dunmire has a lot of people in his pockets, that’s for sure.”
What Makes Tulsa King Different
Patrick believes Tulsa King stands apart from other mob stories. “The premise is so cool,” he said. “A guy that went away to prison to protect the family that he was a part of, only to be betrayed by that family and jettisoned out to Tulsa to make it on his own. Talk about betrayal. I did 25 years for you, and this is what you do to me?”
He said Stallone’s performance anchors the series. “He hasn’t had a character like this,” Patrick noted. “He’s in every scene, working his butt off right now. What a great challenge for him to take on.”
Reuniting With John Cena in Peacemaker
Patrick also returns as Auggie Smith in Peacemaker Season 2, reuniting with John Cena under James Gunn’s direction. “James Gunn had saw the performance I did in Perry Mason for HBO,” he said. “Unbeknownst to him, he had no idea that I had a past history with John Cena. John and I liked each other, but we were protagonists and antagonists in The Marine.”
That past helped shape their chemistry on set. “The first scene we shoot is when he comes back to my house for the first time, coming out of jail,” Patrick said. “We shot that with no rehearsal.”
He also praised Cena’s dedication. “He’s a serious guy, takes his craft very seriously, and he’s obviously done a lot of work and learned a lot,” Patrick said. “He literally every day, at the end of the day, wants to know, ‘What can I have done better?’ He’s constantly looking to improve, and he does not rest on his laurels.”
Working With James Gunn
Patrick said Gunn’s sensibility gives Peacemaker its unique tone. “James is a fascinating guy as a storyteller and writer,” Patrick said. “He just has a real knack for exactly what you said… that balance of comedy and emotional weight. He has a wonderful heart. If you look at Superman and Guardians of the Galaxy, he understands all that.”
Patrick described Gunn as “big-hearted” and unpretentious. “James said, ‘I’m not really trying to get Oscars. I’m just trying to entertain people,” Patrick recalled. “That frees you up… I just want to make people have something fun to watch and take their mind off their lives.”
From Reacher to Terminator
Patrick has worked with an impressive lineup of leading men, including Alan Ritchson on Reacher. “He’s very much like John [Cena],” Patrick said. “Always trying to figure out how he could be better… he seemed to have a real drive. Great guy, wonderful guy to work with.”
Of course, Patrick still gets questions about Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but his favorite story came from the T2 3D: Battle Across Time attraction at Universal Studios. “That was James Cameron’s sequel to Terminator 2,” he said. “It was groundbreaking… being filmed in 3D, it was going to be a ride.”
The biggest challenge? “I was not in as good a shape,” Patrick laughed. “James had this idea where you’re going to run in those motorcycle boots and chase after… I told him, ‘You can’t kill me with this stuff. You’re going to get a couple of takes, that’s all I can do.’”
Staying True to the Craft
After decades in film, TV, and even gaming, Patrick said his approach hasn’t changed. “I just try to be truthful,” he said. “Every one of us has dark and light, and I try to access whatever I need to. I take acting very, very seriously. I love the opportunity to explore and escape my reality into these characters.”
He added simply, “I feel like I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been given the opportunity to do it, and I’m very grateful for it. Maybe that’s it — I just love it.”
Tulsa Kings Season 3 airs on Paramount+ on Sunday, and the Season Finale of Peacemaker Season 2 airs on October 9th on HBO MAX.
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Sean Tajipour
Sean Tajipour is the Founder and Editor of Nerdtropolis and the host of the Moviegoers Society and Reel Insights Podcast. He is also a member of the Critics Choice Association. You can follow on Twitter and Instagram @Seantaj.
