Percy Jackson and The Olympians Cast Are Excited To Bring Viewers A Faithful Adaptation With The New Series

The cast and creative team of Percy Jackson and The Olympians — including Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri, executive producer Dan Shotz, and showrunner and co-creator Jon Steinberg — joined for a press conference to talk about bringing a new life to the Percy Jackson franchise.

Something that was really important to author Rick Riordan was for our new trio of Percy, Annabeth, and Grover to bring their own personalities into their respective characters. “I took this character and I mixed it up,” Jeffries explained, sharing that the direction from him is what made the chemistry good between all of them. Scobell agreed, emphasizing the emotional journey for his character, as he noted that “it's really important to remember that he’s still a 12 year old kid.” Simhadri liked that Grover is skittish, but willing to put himself out there in front of his friends. This allows Grover to come out of his shell to protect the people he loves. When it comes to the traits they have in common with their characters, Scobell shares Percy’s sense of humor, while Jeffries connects with Annabeth’s vulnerability and Simhadri admires Grover’s ability to connect with others.

When asked about how they felt experiencing every Percy Jackson fan’s dream (including them!) on set at Camp Half-Blood, Scobell explained it felt surreal after imagining it for so long. Jeffries was amazed at the level of detail adapted from the book and how it was exactly the way it was written while on set. “What was amazing for us seeing it come to life was it's the first time I've seen hundreds of background artists put a shirt on and their whole body changed,” chimed in Shotz. “All the kids that were at the camp were so connected to the books themselves that being able to put these orange shirts on and honor this book and play these roles, it was overwhelming. Just seeing the excitement from everybody who was there.”

Given the franchises popularity, Shotz and Steinberg worked to bring the characters to life from the books in a faithful way. They had to be committed to telling the story, but also not be afraid to take risks. “It's a constant balancing act between a real sense of reverence for the material and a willingness to try stuff. I think having Rick and Becky on board makes that process possible,” said Steinberg. “The ability to pitch something new and then look at their faces and see if it’s working is invaluable. So, you kind of have to be able to walk both sides of that line at all times.”

Shotz added onto that sentiment about the Riordans: “There's no one closer to this book series than the Riordans. What was so impressive about them was they were open to looking at it themselves. Rick wrote this 20 years ago and he had some distance from it. So it was exciting to hear what things he wanted to do with it, how he wanted to explore different themes and ideas and dig deeper into all of it. So it was kind of amazing to watch. It was a special relationship.”

Working on a show with kids may seem like chaos, but not for this cast. Everyone was extremely professional to the point that it was easy to forget they were kids, which made the process amazing to watch. Jeffries recounts an embarrassing yet funny moment when she accidentally called Simhadri “Mr. Aryan” after being used to acting alongside adults. They both were older than Scobell, but were impressed by his level of maturity.

If you’re wondering how connected the cast members are, you’re in for a treat as Scobell and Jeffries address everyone’s favorite ship Percabeth! They both agree that the Tunnel Of Love scene solidifies the growing chemistry between their characters. Jeffries shared how their characters initially were almost enemies and the scene made them realize that “they aren’t so bad.”

As the series comes closer to its premiere, one of the scenes they can’t wait to share with the fans is the epic Ares fight! “I don’t even think that needs an explanation,” said Scobell.

Get ready to head to Camp Half Blood with Percy Jackson and The Olympians premiering December 20 on Disney+.