The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a special place in the hearts of Percy Jackson fans. It’s where Percy’s mom taught him about Greek mythology, it’s where he encountered his first monster, and last week, it was the venue for the premiere of the new Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Since 2005, author Rick Riordan’s tale of a troubled New York City kid who discovers that his father is a Greek god has captivated young readers. 18 years later, those children are paying rent, have 401ks, and are looking forward to reconnecting with literary friends from their formative years.
Although this is not the first screen adaptation of the Percy series—Logan Lerman played Percy in 2010’s Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief and its 2013 sequel— it’s the first one with Riordan and his wife Becky Riordan at the helm. Standing before an eager crowd before the first episode played, the Riordans thanked the three rising stars who brought the series’ beloved protagonists to life: Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Leah Jeffries (Annabeth Chase), and Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood).
Speak to Scobell (14), Jeffries (14), and Simhadri (17) for even a few minutes, and you’ll understand why Riordan cast them. They’ve got the skills to deliver emotionally-moving, dramatic scenes, but they also have impeccable comic timing. When they’re in a room together, they lose themselves in bits, egging each other on until Simhadri, the eldest, reels them in to take part in very serious business: this GQ interview.
Thirty minutes before the three teens surprised Los Angeles fans at a preview screening in Century City, they spoke to GQ about getting advice from their predecessors, their favorite Greek myths, and who has the best curls in the cast.
GQ: Did you watch the previous movies before you started working on this project? Did you speak to any of the earlier actors?
Walker Scobell: I got a message from Logan Lerman, maybe a month into shooting. He gave me some tips—enjoy it all and be present—and that kind of helped me throughout the shooting for the show.
Aryan Simhadri: I'd love to talk to Brandon T. Jackson. I keep wanting to message him after I see his movies, and I always get really scared.
Leah Jeffries: I didn't get to talk to Ms. Alexandra [Daddario] personally, but she did say things about me in a very good way. I was happy. It's awesome.
Have you all seen the tweets about you guys having a curl-off?
Scobell: Yeah, we were just talking about this earlier today.
Jeffries: I don't know why they're saying that because my hair is straight.
Simhadri: Yeah. I have very short hair myself.
Scobell: We all came to the conclusion while we were talking about this. We think that Jason Mantzoukas, if it’s an everyone curl-off, wins. [His hair] is just silky. It flows. It's beautiful.
There were so many stunts. What was the training like for the Capture the Flag scene and the stunts with the Minotaur? Did you guys do a lot of the stunts yourselves?
Jeffries: So I'm already a stunter, so filming the minotaur scene, when I had to jump on its back and everything… [Note: Jeffries does not actually fight the minotaur in this scene.]
Scobell: You killed it. [Note: It’s actually Scobell who fights the minotaur.]
Simhadri: Incredible. Slayed, man.
Jeffries: I know, right? I didn't slay, but I slayed. You know what I mean?
Scobell: Your performance when your mom, Sally Jackson, turned into dust? Incredible. [Note: Again, it’s Scobell, not Jeffries, in that scene.]
Simhadri: Stunt was a lot of fun. We all worked with an incredible stunt team and for the first month of prep, they taught us everything. This is the biggest show I've ever worked on. I've never worked with visual effects, sword fighting, or stunts in any capacity, especially wire work. That was very new to me, this show, but they were so gracious and helped us through everything.
What are your favorite Greek myths?
Jeffries: Medusa. I just really like Medusa.
Scobell: I don't know the name for it, maybe it was Percy, but when he got the string to guide him into the Labyrinth.
Simhadri: With the minotaur?
Scobell: Yeah.
Yeah, that was Perseus! [Note: It was actually Theseus.]
Scobell: I knew it! We got to kind of recreate that. It was so cool.
Simhadri: Mine is Orpeus and Eurydice. I love Hadestown.
If you could play one character other than yourselves, who would it be?
Jeffries: I mean, Grover. I’m kidding.
Scobell: He’s objectively the most powerful.
Simhadri: I'm kind of a big deal. Grover has, like, leather-bound books, and smells of mahogany.
Scobell: I would say Luke, just because you get to play two characters, with Luke and Kronos.
Jeffries: I would say Medusa or Athena.
Simhadri: There are a lot of interesting characters to play, especially in the show, now that we get to flesh them out. Luke is a pretty good answer. I'd say Mr. D [Dionysus] and Chiron.
Jeffries: If you wanna run the camp just let me know. I can be the cabin.
You want to be the cabin? Which cabin would you want to be?
Jeffries: Number six—Athena’s. No, I'm joking.
Scobell: Poseidon’s cabin is the coolest cabin, objectively.
Jeffries: I would say Athena, but no biggie.
Scobell: You know what Hephaestus’s cabin looks like, and I love it so much for this. It looks like a hobbit house.
Simhadri: Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say. I love it. If you look at it in one of the trailers, when you see all the cabins, it's a little smaller than all the other houses.
Did you guys take anything from the set?
Jeffries: Legally? No.
Scobell: I think the question is what didn't we take?
Simhadri: We left a few things—just, like, the cabins.
Scobell: A couple of the sets.
Jeffries: I did take the volume stage, though. I left the blue screen. I just packed up all the little TV screens into one big old suitcase.
Simhadri: The thing that I'm most fond of that I took are Hermes’ flying shoes. Those things have been with me through everything. Underworld, Cerberus, and sand dunes. I wore them at the premiere.
Scobell: I'm going to say [Percy’s bronze sword] Riptide. I got to keep the metal version, which is the coolest thing ever. I won't let any of my siblings, my mom, or my dad touch it. I have it up on a high shelf so everyone can see it and can't reach it.
Jeffries: For me, it was my shield and my dagger and I feel like there's one thing that I'm forgetting. Oh, the most famous thing of all is my jacket. That purple jacket. Let me tell you the things that I've had with that jacket. Let's just say that it literally went to H-E-L-L and back. Get it?
Are you not allowed to curse?
Jeffries: Oh, no. I don't know why I didn't. Am I? [looking offscreen] No. I mean, I don't, though.
They got you on that tight Disney contract, huh?
Scobell: Got to stay family-friendly for Disney+, for the big mouse.
Are Hermes’ shoes still Converse?
Simhadri: They are. They're bright red Converse sneakers, and I wear them everywhere. They have the Hermes insignia on the tongue and I wear them so much that they're starting to peel off.
When we meet Dionysus, he’s drinking Diet Coke. I thought it was funny that they positioned Diet Coke as a kind of nectar of the Gods. What would be your nectar of the Gods?
Jeffries: Usually what I do is put lemon and Sprite mixed—but the one in London though, they had, when you order the lemonade, it's not regular lemonade. It's like carbonated lemonade, so it's lemonade and Sprite already mixed. It's so good.
Scobell: I would say Canadian Shirley Temples.
Simhadri: For me, I feel like good Chai or Mango Lassi, which are both Indian drinks.
If you were writing the books, where would you place Mount Olympus?
Jeffries: The Burj Khalifa. Hello Dubai!
Scobell: I'd say above a Greek step or above the Louvre. Somewhere Greek-related, or the ruins of Mount Olympus.
Simhadri: The Parthenon. I'd put mine directly above my house. I'd just walk up the one floor.
I’m looking forward to everyone seeing your performances and seeing how your curl goes. Your teams should do a poll on who's going to win the curl-off by the end of the year.
Jeffries: Honestly, I don't think we need a poll. I think we know the winner [pointing to herself].
Scobell: No, I completely agree. I think we know without a poll [pointing to himself].
Simhadri: We know the winner, but it's fine [pointing to himself].
Scobell: We could do the poll.
Jeffries: I feel like it's useless.
Simhadri: A formality.
Jeffries: It doesn't make sense, but it's fine.
Scobell: I wore a hat today, but we know who won.
