Samaritan's Dascha Polanco Reveals The Unusual Way She Was Introduced To Sylvester Stallone - Exclusive

Having worked on such hit series as "Orange Is the New Black" and "American Crime Story: Impeachment," as well as the movie musical "In the Heights," actor Dascha Polanco has encountered her fair share of esteemed co-stars. But Polanco's introduction to the iconic actor who plays the lead in her latest film, "Samaritan" — Sylvester Stallone — might be her most memorable.

Streaming exclusively on Prime Video, "Samaritan" stars Stallone as Joe Smith, a reclusive garbage man in Granite City, which has devolved into a crime-infested metropolis since the tragic loss of the city's superhero savior, Samaritan, 25 years earlier. A few people in Granite City still believe that Samaritan is still alive and is hiding in plain sight as Joe, despite reports of him dying in a massive fire along with his brother-turned-adversary, Nemesis. Among them is Sam Cleary (Javon "Wanna" Walton), a 13-year-old boy who is starting to fall under the influence of the city's street gangs.

Polanco stars as Tiffany Cleary, Sam's hardworking single mother who is trying her best to keep her son out of trouble. When Sam discovers without a doubt that Joe does have superpowers, his life starts to take a positive turn as Joe becomes his mentor. However, when a menacing gang leader, Cyrus (Pilou Asbæk), unearths Nemesis' deadly weapons and puts the lives of Sam, Tiffany, and the innocent citizens of Granite City in peril, Joe is forced to come out of hiding to save them.

In an exclusive interview with Looper, Polanco said she was surprised by a memorable encounter with Stallone, who also produces "Samaritan."

Sylvester Stallone shot to the top of the A-list with his "Rocky" and "Rambo" franchises, as well as his "The Expendables" and "Creed" films. But instead of talking about the movie business when she first met him, Dascha Polanco was surprised with how her high-profile castmate shared with her his affinity for a classic dessert instead.

"He definitely loves banana splits. I was just saying how he introduced [them to me, which was surprising]," Polanco told Looper, laughing. "I never had a banana split, and he loves banana splits. That's surprising to be able to have that conversation with Sylvester Stallone. It was very unexpected. I would have never thought as an actress [I'd be] thinking, 'I'm going to work with Sylvester Stallone. We're going to speak about banana splits.' It's not something you prepare for."

Polanco also loves the themes examined in "Samaritan," including the idea that everybody has the power to become their own hero. As such, sharing scenes with Stallone on the film made Polanco believe she could do anything she set her mind to.

"The only way we do that is by being resilient by facing adversity, by being fearless, and you get to witness that throughout the film," Polanco observed. "I love that for me, playing across Sylvester Stallone in a thriller was something that was on my vision board. I believed in it, and I manifested it. It goes to show that me, myself, I am my own hero. It doesn't take for me to like control time or anything like that."

Directed by Julius Avery, "Samaritan," adapted from the Mythos Comics graphic novel of the same name, is streaming exclusively on Prime Video.