Santo Domingo. DR
In 1985, when she was barely two years old, Dascha Yolaine Polanco emigrated with her parents, Rubén Darío Polanco and Janet Polanco, to live in Brooklyn, United States, but her roots were rooted in her native Dominican Republic, specifically in the Capotillo expansion of the capital, in where she was born and where, every summer, she came to share with her family and become a true Dominican.
On these unforgettable vacations, the famous Hollywood actress shared with her cousins, neighbors and friends at her maternal grandparents’ house, getting to know an environment that she does not deny and was nurturing her personality between American and Dominican culture.
Now, that the street La 42 del Capotillo has placed the populous sector in the “public eye”, Thanks to the interest shown by urban music performers, including filmmakers and now even the Ministry of Tourism, due to the effusive and unbridled fun, called “teteos”, Dascha claims to feel much more proud of her little piece of homeland.
“Whenever I come to the country I visit my family, who still lives in El Capotillo, my cousins and childhood friends live there and I have never lost connection with them,” he told Listín Diario.
Then he added: “It is in El Capotillo where I feel truly Dominican, and now that I see that it has become very fashionable, I feel even more proud”.
The actress was in the country for the celebration of the Soberano Awards, where she was nominated in the new category Actor/Actress Abroad, for the movie “Gordita Chronicles.”
Dascha has become an important piece of the board that Latin actresses in Hollywood make up, being one of the favorites of the public and industry producers thanks to her iconic character of “Dayanara Díaz” in the hit Netflix original series, “Orange is the New Black” (OITNB) (2013-2019).
This character put her in the eye of the producers, between 2011 and 2012 she had participated in minor roles.
“I always wanted to be an actress, but the circumstances surrounding my life did not make it easy for me to achieve that dream, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hunter College, then continued working in the health industry, until the opportunities to prepare and work on acting,” he said.
On the subject, he elaborated: “For me, the commitment, love and dedication that the person puts in does not matter in the work they do. I dreamed of being an actress, but while I worked in health, I always did it with dedication, I was about to continue my studies in this sector to continue preparing myself, but then the opportunity to act presented itself”.
His comment is due to the success he has obtained after taking off in the famous Netflix series, because for Dascha success comes with discipline and total dedication to work.
“I am very respectful of my work, knowing that I have to be on time, whether it is at an audition or on the recording set, or ready to perform, for me that is sacred,” she said.
Currently the well-known actress (December 3, 1981) is in the new Universal series “The Pick up”, Right now it is the number one of the Universal series and Dascha is confirmed for a second season.
Recently, he is also one of the star characters in the movie “Samaritan” with actor Sylvester Stallone, a film that was filmed during the pandemic and is available on Paramount. To this is added that he has just filmed a movie in Bulgaria.
However, to her She is very excited to be able to make movies or theater in her country, without yet having a concrete project for reasons of time, he hopes to be able to move to his land and be part of this beginning of the Dominican film industry.
He also has in the portfolio to be able to direct, at some point, and present his vision of cinema in a film. “It is important for me to be able to make my own films as other actresses in Hollywood have done, I have also been preparing myself to develop this work, it is something that I am very excited about, just like being able to make movies or theater in my country”,
Dasha, mother of three children, He has a very restless personality, his projection in art also includes becoming a great music star. During the pandemic, she moved to Miami to prepare and attend music camps, where her interest in her music led her to study at Berklee College of Music.
“I love music and I’m already recording songs which will soon be released on an EP, my musical work is a mixture of rhythms like pop, dance, rock… I’ll be doing more things with music, I remember that when I was at school I always wanted to make music from my country, and make my culture known to my friends”, reveals who has become a defender of Dominican culture.
Her notable works also include the voice of “Michelle Rojas is not ok” is the story of a Dominican in Washington Heights by Lin-Manuel Miranda and the voice of the characters in the spoiled film “Super Pets”.
The inclution
In Hollywood, the Dominican actress recognizes that the transformation that has taken place in the film and television industry in the United States with the inclusion quota has favored her, she also recognizes that the work that the stories taken to the cinema or the characters can never lose Its essence.
“I am very happy because more and more Latinos are doing important jobs. Although our progress in Hollywood as a culture has been very slow, but we have remained and the work stands out more and more,” he said.