Beau Knapp has a gift for playing complicated men.
From Drew on SEAL Team to Cole on Tulsa King, his characters carry the kind of darkness that makes you want to hate them — until you catch a glimpse of the vulnerability underneath.
Then, like me, you just want to wrap them up and say, “I’m so sorry.”
When I asked Beau if he sought out these roles, he smiled.
“I mean, I’m very drawn to these roles. Paramount‘s been very, very good to me. I’ve been so lucky.
“There are similarities between Drew and Cole — it has a lot to do with daddy issues, turmoil, trauma, and loss. But I’m grateful I get to play characters with that kind of depth.”
That depth is exactly what makes Cole so compelling. He’s dangerous one moment and quietly heroic the next, a contradiction that Beau says is baked into the character.
“To me, Cole has a good heart. He was raised by a good man who grew vicious and cold-blooded.
“Cole’s still stuck in that boy’s mind, adoring his father or the memory of him. He’d do anything to make him happy, which gets him into a lot of trouble.”
An Angel in the Dark
Cole’s contradictions were on full display when he saved Spencer from a sexual assault, just one episode after killing Chloe’s father.
“That was a huge turning point,” Beau explained. “Cole’s so used to being beaten down and belittled by his father that it barely registers anymore.
“But when he sees that man putting his hands on Spencer, his facade breaks. He wants to do good and be an honorable man. Maybe it even felt good.”
For Beau, Spencer represents a light in Cole’s otherwise dark world — a glimpse of another future.
A Toxic Father, a Possible New One
Robert Patrick’s Jeremiah is as cruel a father as they come.
In one scene, he literally sears Cole’s wound with a hot poker, dismissing his pain as weakness. Yet Cole still craves his approval.
That’s why I floated my dream scenario to Beau: Cole breaking away from Jeremiah to find a different kind of father figure in Dwight.
“I think by the end of the season, it’s definitely something you can [see],” he said. “Cole’s always been looking for a family since his mother died and his brother died. He hasn’t had anybody, just this man telling him what to do.
“He’d find that kind of father figure as someone of strength and honor, even if it’s a bad-guy good-guy situation. It’s just a place where he feels at home. And if Spencer’s there, Cole will do whatever he can.”
The idea of Cole defecting to Dwight’s side adds a juicy wrinkle to the ongoing bourbon wars. Imagine Jeremiah’s abused son becoming Dwight’s ally — that’s Tulsa King drama at its best.
A Biblical Battle
When pressed for a hint about what’s next, Beau kept things tantalizingly vague.
“Cole has a big decision to make. Will he live up to the expectations of his father, or will he let the Dunmire name burn down forever?
“It’s almost biblical — revenge, redemption, betrayal, action. I think people are going to see a side of Tulsa they’ve never seen before.”
Biblical feels like the right word. With Jeremiah quoting scripture as he orders killings and Cole caught between damnation and redemption, this isn’t just a mob story — it’s a morality play.
Beau Knapp’s Sweet Spot
Through it all, Beau is clearly grateful to be part of the Tulsa King family.
“That’s what’s great about the show — sometimes it’s so heavy and dark, and other times it’s light and fun. There aren’t many shows like that.”
And there aren’t many actors who can pull off that balance.
Cole is brutal, broken, and — maybe — redeemable. Beau Knapp makes you believe all three at once.
Be sure to check out our review of Tulsa King Season 3 Episode 2 for more insight into Cole Dunmire, and watch Tulsa King on Sundays only on Paramount+.
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The post Beau Knapp on Tulsa King Season 3: Cole’s Contradictions and the Search for Family appeared first on TV Fanatic.
