Dascha Polanco is a Dominican-American actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black," and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 movie In the Heights. She was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States at a young age.

Polanco aspired to be an actress from an early age but "always doubted auditioning because of her weight," and so she completed a bachelor's degree in psychology at Hunter College. After college, she was working in hospital administration at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx while studying nursing when she gained the courage to pursue acting again and registered herself with an acting studio. Her first acting credits were minor parts in the television series "Unforgettable" and "NYC 22."

In 2012, Polanco was cast in the Netflix series "Orange Is the New Black" as her first full-time acting job. Polanco subsequently appeared in the 2013 independent film Gimme Shelter before returning to her role on "Orange Is the New Black," which she has remained in for the show's entire run. Outside of "Orange is the New Black," Polanco has appeared in the comedy "The Cobbler," "Russian Doll," "American Crime Story" and "When They See Us."

Polanco is known for flaunting her curves and spreading body positivity through her social media channels, but she has opened up about how her confidence didn’t come easy. Having worked in the industry now for several years she’s grown to love her body despite the notoriously high standards in Hollywood.

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