Samaritan Cast Talk Gritty & Realistic Superhero Movie [JUNKET]

I had the opportunity to sit down with the cast of the upcoming Prime Video movie, Samaritan. The film is set for release on August 26, 2022.

SAMARITAN JUNKET BREAKDOWN

The first part of the Junket was with Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black), Javon Wanna Walton (Euphoria), and Pilou Asbaek (Game of Thrones).

The cast discussed the discipline required for the film and the resulting brutality. As Pilou put it, “If you got hit, you got back up”. Javon also mentioned that the movie required a boxing mentality to shoot the action scenes.

Pilou mentioned the complexities of Cyrus, and his character. At the end of the day, Cyrus is an outsider looking into this world.

SAMARITAN WILL NOT BE A FRANCHISE

The cast was asked how the film is different than other superhero movies; to which the cast imparted that Samaritan is not a franchise; but rather a standalone film that begins and ends. Dascha stressed that there are different heroes. The Child, Cyrus, Tiffany, and even Joe are all ‘heroes’ in a way. The cast emphasized that there are “No capes” in Samaritan. Instead, the film has a grittiness and a dark twist to superhero movies.

When asked about their favorite scene, both Pilou and Javon mentioned their elevator scene. Pilou says it was their “Chemistry and magic” that elevated that scene.

Dascha mentioned a Roof scene where she had to do her own stunts. She managed to push through and get the job done
Citing heroism behind the scenes including moments when Sylvester helped a lot of the cast and showed them support.

SYLVESTER STALLONE DISCUSSES SAMARTIAN

The second part of the junket was with legendary action star, Sylvester Stallone.

When asked what drew him to Samaritan, Stallone says it was not really about mythic characters but really it’s about characters acting in self-preservation and that in certain times, people get rid of the hero but then they’re not ready for what awaits them.

When asked what working with a younger cast did for the actor, he mentioned that they are so full of life and their characters need help; so in a sense characters like Javon’s Sam are winding the clock back both on and off camera.

When asked about training and action scenes, Sly said that it’s about “Respecting your age” and that people “Fall apart when [they] stop caring” but ultimately these all helped sell the risk in a scene and made the danger plausible.

There was talk about the Wrestling influence in the movie, and Sly mentioned the moral complexity and the complex story of it all as being an influence on Samaritan.

When asked what Comic Book Movie fans can expect, Stallone said that there’s a grounded nature to the film and that [Sam] could be the guy next to you on the bus, but he could also lift the bus.

Be sure to check out Samaritan when it lands on Prime Video on August 26th.

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