Sylvester Stallone has done a lot throughout his career, including launching one of the most successful sports movies franchise of all time and becoming a box office champ for six-straight decades. And though he has appeared in a few superhero movies in recent years, Stallone hasn't led a comic book adaptation since the 1995 adaptation of Judge Dredd. That all changes with Samaritan, Julias Avery's Amazon original movie, which sees Stallone take on the role of a retired masked vigilante who reluctantly comes out of the shadows.
If you have watched, or are planning to watch the gritty 2022 movie and want to know where you’ve seen Stallone and the rest of the Samaritan cast before but can’t put your finger on it, don’t worry because we’re about to break it all down now...
Sylvester Stallone (Joe)
Starting things off is Sylvester Stallone himself, who takes on the role of a former superhero who reluctantly gets back in the crime-fighting game after an encounter with a young boy in trouble in Samaritan. Though this is first time playing a traditional superhero since taking on the titular role in 1995's Judge Dredd, Stallone has made appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Suicide Squad (as the voice of King Shark), both of which were directed by James Gunn. And there’s more on the way…
Throughout his career, which goes back more than 50 years, Stallone has become one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood thanks to successful film franchises like Rocky and Rambo, as well as some undeniably badass roles in some of the best action movies of all time.
Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton (Sam Cleary)
Next up is Javon “Wanna” Walton, who appears on the Samaritan cast as Sam Cleary, the boy whose rescue by Joe leads to the former superhero coming out of the shadows for the first time in years following a tragic accident.
The up-and-coming Walton will instantly be recognized by fans of the popular HBO teen drama series Euphoria, on which he has played Ashtray O’Neil throughout the duration of the show. Since breaking out a few years ago, Walton has landed roles on shows likes The Umbrella Academy as well as the 2021 animated feature film The Addams Family 2, in which he replaced Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard as the voice of Pugsley Addams.
Pilous Asbæk (Cyrus)
Stepping in as the villainous Cyrus in Samaritan is Pilous Asbæk, who has established himself as one of the most dynamic and terrifying “bad guy” actors in show business these past few years.
Asbæk found a great deal of success in his native Denmark and smaller roles in various Hollywood productions throughout his career before landing the role of the despicable and treacherous Euron Greyjoy on the Game of Thrones cast in the HBO fantasy series’ final few seasons, quickly establishing himself as one of the show’s most evil villains. Since then, Asbæk has appeared in movies like Outside the Wire, Run Sweetheart Run, and Uncharted, briefly appearing in the film’s end credits sequence. He is also set to appear in the delayed Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in an undisclosed role.
Dascha Polanco (Tiffany Cleary)
Taking on the role of Sam Cleary’s mother Tiffany in Samaritan is Dascha Polanco, who fans of a certain classic Netflix original series will instantly recognize.
Since making a name for herself as Dayanara “Daya” Diaz on Orange is the New Black, on which she appeared in all but 10 episodes, Polanco has gone on to appear in several of the most decorated series of the past half-decade. This includes major roles on The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Russian Doll, and When They See Us, to name a few. During that same stretch of time, Polanco has landed roles in movies like The Cobbler, The Irishman, In the Heights, and most recently, DC League of Super-Pets, in which she voiced Green Lantern.
Moisés Arias (Reza)
Showing up on the Samaritan cast as Reza, one of the lackeys in Cyrus’ gang, is Moisés Arias, who has come a long way since his days of playing Rico on the Disney Channel original series Hannah Montana back in 2006.
In the years following his initial success in front of the camera, Arias has shown up on a variety of Disney programs including Wizards of Waverly Place, The Suite Life on Deck, and Phineas and Ferb, as well as other shows like The Middle and The Good Doctor. His film credits include everything from voice roles in the likes of Despicable Me 2, Astro Boy, and The Secret World of Arrietty to live-action films including Ender's Game, The King of Staten Island, The Stanford Prison Experiment, Pitch Perfect 3, and Blast Beat.
Martin Starr (Albert Casler)
Taking on the role of Albert Casler in Samaritan is Martin Starr, who is no stranger to appearing in superhero movies or projects about those some would consider outcasts from society.
In recent years, Martin Starr has become a great source of comedy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Roger Harrington, Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) science teacher at Midtown School of Science and Technology who always seems to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Starr also played a younger version of the character in The Incredible Hulk. Starr, who got his break as Bill Haverchuck on the Freaks and Geeks cast back in 1999, has continued to find success on the small screen, with appearances on Party Down, Drunk History, and Silicon Valley, to name only a few.
Sophia Tatum (Sil)
And then there is Sophia Tatum, who takes on the role of Sil, another one of Cyrus’ lackeys in Samaritan.
Though she doesn’t have quite as many credits to her name as other members of the Samaritan cast, Tatum has been part of some major projects in recent years. This includes a brief appearance in the incredibly successful F9: The Fast Saga in summer 2021 and the most recent season of The CW’s Riverdale series, in which she portrayed Agent Jillian Drake.
This is just a portion of the Samaritan cast, as the likes of Shameik Moore, Jared Odrick, and several others appear throughout the Sylvester Stallone-led Amazon original. And don’t forget to check out our guide to all the other upcoming superhero movies coming out this year and beyond.
