The stars of Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians kicked off San Diego Comic-Con this year with a full Hall-H panel on Thursday, July 25th. Stars Walker Scobell ("Percy Jackson"), Aryan Simhadri ("Grover Underwood"), Leah Sava Jeffries ("Annabeth Chase"), Virginia Kull ("Sally Jackson"), and Adam Copeland ("Ares") were joined by Dan Shotz (Executive Producer) and Jonathan E. Steinberg (Co-Creator & Executive Producer) for a panel moderated by Jay Duplass (“Hades”). The cast was pretty tight-lipped about Season 2, based on Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and outside of announcing the casting of Daniel Diemer as Percy’s cyclops half-brother Tyson, there wasn’t much news. But we did get some fun behind-the-scenes stories, the best of which I present to you.
How the Cast Prepared for Their Roles
The actors went through extensive preparation to embody their characters. Leah Sava Jeffries talked about the importance of understanding her character's intelligence and bravery, making sure she portrayed Annabeth as authentically as possible. "I had to learn how to walk like a satyr,” Aryan Simhadri explained. “We even had someone who worked on Jurassic Park teach me the movements!" But the actor feeling the most amount of pressure was it’s titular star. "Percy has been a part of my life since third grade,” Walker Scobell shared, who was a big fan of the books before the role came his way. “Making [Percy] feel natural on screen was important to me."
The Kids Worked with an Acting Coach
"Mr. Andrew, our acting coach, was incredible,” Leah Sava Jeffries shared. “He helped us dig deep into our characters and brought out the best in our performances." Andrew McIlroy helped the lead actors better understand their characters by building detailed binders about them. As the stars progress through the scripts, he would also write them essays about how their characters would be feeling in the moment. Virginia Kull shared that Andrew McIlroy had a brief cameo in the first episode of the series as a school administrator who denied Percy entry into his school.
Great Care Is Taken With Adapting Rick Riordan's Books
"Staying true to Rick Riordan's books was our top priority,” executive producer Dan Shotz said. “Having Rick and Becky involved was a game-changer for us." At the same time, literal adaptations of books rarely work well on screen, so some liberties had to be taken. "We wanted to add our creative touch while honoring the source material,” added series co-creator Jonathan E. Steinberg. “It's a balance we're proud of achieving."
Everyone is Excited for Season 2
"Season 2 is going to be even more epic,” Leah Sava Jeffries shared, one of the few times the panelists got to speak about the upcoming second season. “Annabeth's journey continues to grow, and I can't wait for fans to see what's in store." At the time of the panel, the cast had been rehearsing, but hadn’t yet begun filming Season 2.
Grover's Dress is Confirmed
During the audience Q&A, a fan asked Aryan Simhadri about Grover’s dress, and he answered the question, essentially confirming that a fan-favorite moment from The Sea of Monsters has made the jump to the screen. “The best thing has been practicing sprinting in the dress,” Aryan revealed. “I feel like Julia Roberts. It's awesome.” In the book, Grover hides from Polyphemus in a bridal shop, throwing on a dress as a disguise to get away, but not convincing the pursuer, leading to a chase sequence in a bridal gown.
Walker Scobell Loves Tic-Tacs
As Percy Jackson’s on-screen mom, Virginia Kull surprised him during the panel with box of Tic-Tacs, joking that they have Tic-Tac dinners on set. “They're my favorite,” Walker laughed. “They kept me going through the long filming days."
Virginia Kull Had Concerns About Taking the Role
Virginia Kull (Sally Jackson): "Before I accepted the role, I wanted to make sure the kids would be in good hands,” the actress who plays Percy’s mother Sally shared. As a mom in real life, she didn’t want to be on a project where child actors weren’t being treated appropriately. “It was important to me that they had a supportive and nurturing environment on set." The producing team promised her that they had the same concerns, and so far, everyone – including Walker, Aryan, and Leah’s parents – have bonded to create a safe and nurturing environment for the stars to do their best work.
Everyone's Favorite Book in the Series
The last question from the audience asked the stars to share their favorite book in the series. "I love The Last Olympian,” Walker revealed. It's such a powerful conclusion to Percy's journey." Aryan said that’s his favorite of the core Percy Jackson books, too, but he also shared his love of the spin-off series, The Heroes of Olympus. "My favorite is The Battle of the Labyrinth,” Leah added. “Annabeth really shines in that one."
Stay tuned for more news about Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+.
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