On-screen, Neal McDonough is one of Hollywood’s most dependable (and most chilling) bad guys. Off-screen, McDonough is happily married to producer Ruvé McDonough and is a loving father to their five children. Much to the delight of audiences, he has found his place within the Taylor Sheridan universe with roles on two of the creator’s iconic shows: *Yellowstone* and *Tulsa King*.

“To be so blessed to be in not just one, but two Taylor Sheridan shows, I don’t take that lightly,” said McDonough. While he admits to being “introverted” in his everyday life, he loves to take on characters that allow him to “be anything and no one can judge me for it.” “That fearlessness, I think, is something Taylor really likes about my acting approach,” he observed.

### From Yellowstone to Tulsa King

While McDonough’s *Yellowstone* character Malcolm Beck was a ruthless, violent, egomaniacal businessman, his *Tulsa King* character Cal Thresher is a different type of power-hungry figure. Cal is an oilman who, after growing bored with his billions, sets his sights on building a cannabis empire. However, after getting involved with the volatile Jackie Ming (Rich Ting) and running afoul of Dwight Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone), Thresher manages to untangle himself from the business and stay alive in the process.

After licking his wounds, Thresher devises a new plan to stay on top: becoming the Governor of Oklahoma.

“He just wants to amass as much power as he possibly can to do whatever he feels like doing,” said McDonough when asked about Thresher’s gubernatorial run. “Who has more power in the great state of Oklahoma than the Governor? It’s the next logical step for him, but he’s aware that he’s a bit out of his depth.”

One person who can help him is Margaret Devereaux (Dana Delaney), a respected horse rancher and Manfredi’s girlfriend.

“She’s someone Cal needs on his side for the political side of Oklahoma, but also for the mobster side of Oklahoma,” explained McDonough. “Cal needs her on his team until he gets elected, and then, well, he can do whatever he feels like.”

—

### DECIDER Interview with Neal McDonough

**DECIDER:** You feel very at home in the Taylor Sheridan universe. How did your experience on *Yellowstone* prepare you for *Tulsa King*?

**NEAL MCDONOUGH:** First of all, to be so blessed to be in not just one, but two Taylor Sheridan shows—I don’t take that lightly. I’m one of those actors who likes to swing for the fences. In real life, I’m much more of a shy, introverted type of person. But when I get into a character, I can be anything I want and no one can judge me for it. That fearlessness, I think, is something Taylor really likes about my acting approach.

It really worked well with my character in *Yellowstone*. I had some great scenes with Kevin Costner too. Certain things have been said about Kevin as of late because of *Horizon* or because of this or that. I’m just going to put the fact out there that Kevin Costner might be the greatest screen actor of all time. He is so dialed into his characters. When you watch the nuances of his characters, it’s like you’re watching Robert Redford. They are very similar in how they listen so well to everything that’s going on in the scene. You can’t take your eyes off them. I love watching Kevin so much. So, I wish nothing but success for Kevin Costner moving forward. You’re definitely not alone there.

It was a great challenge for me to bounce from a crazy, maniacal character like Malcolm Beck in *Yellowstone* to this really polished, well-to-do Oklahoman Cal Thresher in *Tulsa King*. As Cal Thresher, I get to go nose to nose with Sylvester Stallone. He’s such a talented guy. He knows exactly what to do in front of a camera. He’s so prepared with this character, with his dialogue, with everything.

—

**DECIDER:** You recently said that Cal Thresher was “one of the most misunderstood characters” you’ve played in a long time. Can you elaborate on that for me?

**NEAL MCDONOUGH:** He came out hot right out of the gate. As time progressed, he was trying to be that tough guy. He’s got billions of dollars at his fingertips so he can basically do anything he wants. In Season 2, he slowly learns that he’s not really cut out for the marijuana business.

My wife Ruvé and I were talking after Season 2 ended. I didn’t think I was going back, and then we were with [101 Studios CEO] David Glasser one day, and Ruvé said to me, “Share your idea with David because it’s a great idea.” So, I said, “David, I want to come back next year, and I want to be the governor of Oklahoma.” He stared at me and didn’t really say anything. He was like, “That’s interesting.”

Three weeks later, I got a call. “Congratulations, you’re back on *Tulsa King*. Here’s the first script, and Cal Thresher is running for governor.” So I must thank Ruvé for getting me Seasons 3 and 4 on *Tulsa King*.

Malcolm Beck and Cal Thresher might look and speak the same, but their intentions are vastly different. I love playing with the minutiae of characters. Cal is interesting. While he wants power like many characters on *Tulsa King*, he doesn’t want it at all costs.

—

**DECIDER:** Why is running for Governor a better fit for him than the weed business?

**NEAL MCDONOUGH:** There are two reasons:

One, there is the altruistic reason of wanting to “help out my great state of Oklahoma.” That is part of it for Cal.

The other part of it is that he just wants to amass as much power as he possibly can to do whatever he feels like doing, especially to Dwight Manfredi. That’s the approach that I took.

At times this season, it seems like Cal is this All-American, fantastic guy, but there are scenes where, as I walk away, you see a mischievous look on my face—like a cat with a mouse in its mouth. That was the season for me. Cal is slowly gathering the power to get what he wants.

I look forward to everyone watching this season because it won’t disappoint.

—

**DECIDER:** I love those scenes between Cal and Margaret, especially when they meet to discuss his floundering campaign. Margaret offering to “hand him the keys to the governor’s office” in return for Cal selling her back her ranch is a very savvy bargain. Does Cal respect this move or is he hurt that she’s manipulating him?

**NEAL MCDONOUGH:** Oh no. He expected it. Cal knew there was going to be a price to be paid to get her on his side. She is so well-connected. She’s someone Cal needs on his side for the political side of Oklahoma, but also for the mobster side of Oklahoma. She knows both very, very well. Cal needs her on his team to build his campaign until he gets elected and then, well, he can do whatever he feels like.

—

**DECIDER:** I also love that Cal is so bothered when Margaret points out that he’s not as beloved or funny as he thinks he is. Where does his insecurity stem from?

**NEAL MCDONOUGH:** That’s just great writing. You can see that Cal doesn’t really fit into the mobster world, although he has jumped into it with both feet. He’s a billionaire who got bored in his 50s and decided it looked like fun being a mobster like Dwight. He soon realized that wasn’t for him, but he loved the power.

Who has more power in the great state of Oklahoma than the Governor? It’s the next logical step for him, but he’s aware that he’s a bit out of his depth—which is unsettling for a man like him.

—

**DECIDER:** I also think Dwight is a bit insecure about Cal. Cal comes from money, is respectable (maybe not liked) in his community, and would make a respectable partner for Margaret. Do you think Dwight should be jealous of Cal?

**NEAL MCDONOUGH:** Of course he is. Cal’s a very put-together guy who comes from everything Dwight didn’t come from. There are parts of Cal that wish he were more like Dwight, but that goes both ways. Dwight says certain things to belittle Cal because he’s intimidated by Cal to a certain degree. Dwight won’t admit it, but that feeling is there. That’s something I get to play with at times. The season was quite a lot of fun for me.

—

**DECIDER:** With most of your projects, there’s a comment made about your eyes. In *Tulsa King*, Dwight refers to Cal as having “X-ray eyes.” In *Justified*, Raylan compares Quarles’ eyes to those of a “husky.” Are those written into the script?

**NEAL MCDONOUGH:** The writers are smart. I’m not the best-looking dude in the world, but on camera, my eyes just pop. If my character is evil, my eyes will be an icy, cold blue. If my character is a good man, my eyes look like light blue, beautiful skies. I think my eyes enhance any character I play, good or bad.

Look at *The Last Rodeo*. There isn’t an evil bone in Joe Wainwright’s body. He’s that All-American guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. Then there’s Malcolm Beck in *Yellowstone*. I wouldn’t want to be in a dark alley with Malcolm Beck. He would scare the heck out of anybody.

Malcolm Beck was such an underrated *Yellowstone* antagonist. I loved playing Malcolm. I wish there was a way to bring Malcolm Beck back to the new *Yellowstone* spinoff so he can wreak havoc. We talked about it before. I think it would be a blast for the viewers to see Malcolm Beck come back with a cane or one arm that doesn’t work anymore or maybe half of his face paralyzed. He could come back to take his revenge on Rip and try to destroy his life. Cole Hauser is a dear friend of mine, so we could have a lot of fun with that dynamic.

—

### Love for Cowboy Culture and Westerns

You obviously love cowboy culture. Were you inspired by your time on *Yellowstone* and *Tulsa King* to make *The Last Rodeo*?

My dad and his family were big into horses. As a kid, I would ride every week at Meltpet Farms in Cape Cod. I still have my dad’s saddle, which he gave to me when I was probably eight. He spent a lot more time with me on horses than with my brothers, and I just loved it.

As my career started to build, Ruvé and I were invited to the Kentucky Derby a couple of times, and we made sure to bring my dad with us. Growing up, I watched a lot of Westerns after church on Sundays. There was always a John Wayne film on. *The Cowboys* is probably my favorite film of all time. I might be from southern Massachusetts, but I’ve always just loved the West.

As I got older, the Western was a genre I really wanted to explore. Ruvé and I produced our first film called *The Warrant* with Gary Wheeler at INSP, which was my first real Western. As soon as we saw the film, Ruvé told me, “You have a face meant for a cowboy hat.”

So, we went from *The Warrant: Breaker’s Law* to *Yellowstone* to *Tulsa King* to *The Last Rodeo*.

In a few weeks, we’re about to start filming a new Western called *The Angel and The Bad Man* with me, Zachary Levi, and Tommy Lee Jones. After that, we’ll start working on a Western that I wrote called *The Wicked and The Righteous*. We plan to film that in late spring, early summer.

I love the power of a good Western and the All-American themes the genre explores. It’s such an exciting time in my life. I can’t wait to go to work every day.
https://decider.com/2025/10/20/tulsa-king-neal-mcdonough-yellowstone-malcolm-beck-interview/