Sylvester Stallone says Hollywood abandoned Middle America as Taylor Sheridan found an ignored audience

Sylvester Stallone says Taylor Sheridan’s success comes partly from telling stories for Middle American viewers whom Hollywood has overlooked. He argues that audiences have been “starving” for stories with a different feel from those centred on California and New York, and says streaming services can respond quickly to that demand.

Stallone doubts Hollywood has yet caught up in its film-making. His own career began with *Rocky*, the 1976 film he wrote and insisted on starring in despite executives’ reservations about casting an unknown actor; a 2026 biographical drama, *I Play Rocky*, will tell that story, though Stallone did not take part. He has since reached a television audience in Sheridan’s *Tulsa King*, playing a New York mobster sent to Oklahoma after 25 years in prison.