Exclusive: Percy Jackson and the Olympians cast on getting diversity right in the new Disney+ series

Percy Jackson and the Olympians stars Walker Scobell as the titular character, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth Chase, and Aryan Simhadri as Grover Underwood.

After two movies adapted from Rick Riordan's books, the character of Percy Jackson now finds renewed life in an upcoming series. It stars a new generation of actors in the beloved roles of Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood. Walker Scobell, 14, Leah Sava Jeffries, 14, and Aryan Simhadri, 17, infuse fresh blood and perspective in their characters, originally written almost two decades ago. They discuss that and more in an exclusive interview.

Aryan Simhadri, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Walker Scobell in Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Just another kid

Walker Scobell was quite confident while taking on the iconic character made more famous by Logan Lerman in the movies. A fan of the books and the movies, Walker was well-versed with Percy Jackson inside out. But he admits playing him made the fan in him take note of what Percy also is: just a kid.

“I got to discover his childish side, if that makes any sense. Because you don't really think about it, but they're really 12. They're kids! They're wanted criminals for destroying a national monument, sorry. It was interesting to go back and look at it. Because it blanks from your mind when you're playing him that he's a child. He doesn't really understand these emotions and how to control them," said Walker.

Up against backlash

Leah Sava Jeffries was also just a kid when she received backlash for her casting as Annabeth Chase, originally imagined as a white character in the books. After she and the makers got trolled extensively for the subversive casting, everyone from the author Rick Riordan to actor Alexandra Daddario (who played Annabeth in the movies) came out in Leah's support. Now that the episode is past her, Leah thinks it only fuelled her to be a better performer on set.

‘Okay, these people are saying all these things. Let’s show them they're wrong,'" said Leah.

“I think that backlash happened because no one saw me play Annabeth yet. But now, everything is done, everything has come together well, and I can't wait for everyone to see it. Because people just judge on the basis of what they see, what they hear, what they feel without actually waiting for it. The stuff that came to me and what people said was really a motivational thing. I took into consideration all of that and thought, ‘Okay, these people are saying all these things. Let’s show them they're wrong,'" said Leah.

Push in diversity

She added that her co-stars kept her morale high whenever she questioned herself. “Even my cast members said, ‘You’re doing great, don't pay attention to all that.' So everyone has helped me a lot on this set. It's come together really well and I can't wait for you to see it,” Leah said. Aryan Simhadri, an Indian-American cast as Grover Underwood, lauded the makers' quest to be more inclusive and diverse. “I don't speak for Leah obviously. But the surge in diversity and the time, money, and genuine effort being put into finding talented creators and casting people of colour have been incredible in these last couple of years," Aryan said.

For Indian people specifically, in the last generation or before this surge in diversity, we were the nerds and the geeks. It's a very specific typecast or stereotype we tend to have.

"I'm just so glad that I get to play a character that means so much to so many people, and not just a funny sidekick kind of guy. It's an honour,” he added.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians will premiere on Disney+ Hotstar on December 20.

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