‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Cast Interviews

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Reading Time: 6 mins read

Premiering on Disney+ beginning December 20th is ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians,’ which is based on the book series of the same name by author Rick Riordan and stars Walker Scobell (‘The Adam Project’) in the title role.

(L to R) Leah Sava Jeffries, Walker Scobell and Aryan Simhadri discuss Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians.’

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri about their work on the series, Annabeth and Percy’s relationship, Percy’s friendship with Grover, the novels the series is based on, and what fans will think of the new show.

(R to L) ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ stars Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover. Photo: Disney.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Scobell, Jeffries and Simhadri, as well as executive producers Jon Steinberg and Dan Shotz.

Moviefone: To begin with, Walker, what has it been like for you playing the iconic role of Percy Jackson in this new series?

Walker Scobell: I’m very excited and at the same time, I’m a little nervous. I don’t know what people are going to think and I hope they like it.

Leah Jeffries in ‘Percy Jackson & The Olympians.’ Photo: Disney/David Bukach.

MF: Leah, can you talk about the relationship between Annabeth and Percy? How would you describe it in your own words?

Leah Sava Jeffries: I feel in this first book, it went from stranger enemies, basically. I feel they were already enemies before they even knew each other. It was like when I first saw him, I was like, “You’re already getting on my nerves.” That’s how Annabeth kind of was though. It was always like, “Are you going to keep talking or are we going to go on the quest now?” It was very much like that, and I felt at the end, going into the second book, that’s when it starts to build into a friendship, and that’s what it was like when we were filming. But TV shows aren’t really filmed all together in unison. Sometimes we film episode eight, and then sometimes we go all the way back to one. So, when we had to film it, we had to change very quickly. So, at the end, it was a little bit closer than the next day. They’re like, “Okay, we’re going all day back to episode three.” Then I’m like, “Can you shut up please?” Then I go all the way back down to, “You’re not so bad.” So, it definitely builds though, but that’s basically how it is.

Aryan Simhadri in ‘Percy Jackson & The Olympians.’ Photo: Disney/David Bukach.

MW: Aryan, can you talk about Percy and Grover’s friendship and how that is depicted in this series?

Aryan Simhadri: Grover plays a lot of different roles when it comes to helping Percy adjust. He helps him adjust to real human life. It’s hard to imagine someone who’s not human, who ages twice as slow can help someone who is human. But I think Grover is a very emotional character. He has a very deep understanding of how people are feeling around him, and I think that’s what helps Percy on both sides of the mist, I guess.

Related Article: Teaser Trailer for the Disney+ Series Adaptation of ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Kicks Off a Quest

Walker Scobell in ‘Percy Jackson & The Olympians.’ Photo: Disney/David Bukach.

MF: Walker, do you think fans of the books will enjoy the new series?

WS: I really hope they’ll like it. I think we’ve given them everything they need to like it. It’s very faithful to the books, which I think is very important for this, but I really hope they like it. I don’t know though. Hopefully. I think they will.

Leah Jeffries in ‘Percy Jackson & The Olympians.’ Photo: Disney/David Bukach.

MF: Leah, had you read the books before shooting the series, and what do you think about the direction the show is taking the source material?

LSJ: Yes, I did read the books, and I was familiar with them before I had got the part. I also had watched the movie a lot. When I do auditions, they always tell me what the name is. When they first told me they were like, “For Percy Jackson.” I was like, “Wait, they’re making it again?” I was like, “Is it a remake or something?” At first, I didn’t know if it was a series or if it was a movie, so I was like, “Wait a minute, what’s happening here?”

(R to L) ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ stars Walker Scobell as Percy Jackson, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover. Photo: Disney.

MF: Finally, Leah, do you think the series gives you more time to explore these characters than a film would?

LSJ: Yeah, it does because trying to fit everything into a two-hour movie, and then say you’re trying to fit everything into an eight-hour-long series if you try to watch it all together, it’s a difference. But I think they are two different types of details that make up the same thing, basically.