Last we saw Dascha Polanco’s semi-good-girl inmate character, Daya, on the Season 5 cliffhanger of “OITNB,” she’d put her baby up for adoption, then helped incite the Litchfield prison riot by popping a guard with a pistol. When Season 6 commences on July 27, she’ll tailspin into even tougher territory – Daya’s been dragged off to “Max” (maximum security prison).
“I can’t give too much away,” the Domincan-born Polanco, 35, teases. (The buzzy role was her first full-time acting job.) “But let’s just say Daya will be dealing with a lot of the same issues America’s impacted by today. Meaning she’s a victim, but she’s surviving. I mean, every victim is a survivor, right?”
Since its debut in 2013, “OITNB” has been breaking all kinds of barriers, with a racially diverse female cast as well as several lesbian, trans and bisexual characters and storylines.
“We definitely opened doors for other shows to go to the next level,” Polanco says. “Growing up, I never saw a show on TV with so much diversity. And when it comes to sexuality — even though Daya got pregnant and gave birth, we don’t know exactly what her sexuality is. She’s been stuck in this contained environment full of fluid sexuality. This show loves the LGBT community dearly. The women are all inmates first — it’s not about sexual preference, it’s about people with personalities, good and bad. To be treated differently because of who you’re in love with — that has nothing to do with ‘Orange.’”
As for playing pregnant for a full three seasons? “Hey, it gave me an excuse for eating. It didn’t matter if I was bloated or not!” she says with a laugh.