Many of you may know Dascha Polanco best for her standout work in Netflix's Orange is the New Black, but 2022 has been an exciting year for the actor. Fresh off a memorable turn in In The Heights, she's starred in Gordita Chronicles and played Green Lantern Jessica Cruz Green alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in DC League of Super-Pets.
Next up for Polanco is Prime Video's Samaritan, and we recently caught up with her and co-star Javon "Wanna" Walton to discuss their lead roles in the movie alongside Sylvester Stallone.
Samaritan takes place in a broken city that's seemingly been abandoned by its greatest hero, so it's vastly different to the light and funny DC Universe seen in that animated blockbuster. With that in mind, we wondered what it's been like to jump between two contrasting superhero worlds.
"It was definitely two different types of perspectives on what a superhero is," Polanco tells us in the video above. "And the type of superhero movie the audience typically sees. I got to play a mom who is a hero as well, but I also got to do my own stunts. I was in the presence of Sylvester Stallone and got to work with Pilou and Wanna."
"I must say, the generosity…it was really easy for me to find and to depict this role. For Green Lantern, obviously, I’m doing the voice and it’s more comedic," she continued. "This is more serious and you see the resilience. It’s definitely two different types of superheroes that we see."
Usually, the role of "mom" tends to be a thankless one in a movie like Samaritan, but we're pleased to report that's not the case on this occasion. Polanco gets a lot to do, and if you're a fan of her previous work (whether it be as Green Lantern or in live-action), we're sure you'll love what she brings to the table here.
Samaritan premieres exclusively on Prime Video globally tomorrow, August 26.