Actress Alexandra Daddario has weighed in on the backlash against the casting of Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase in the upcoming Disney+ show Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Daddario previously played Annabeth Chase in two percyjackson films The Lightning Thief Y sea of monsters
Leah Jeffries is going to be an amazing Annabeth!!!
– Alexandra Daddario (@AADaddario) May 10, 2022
In the book series (written by Rick Riordan), Annabeth is a true daughter of the Greek goddess Athena, a brilliant strategist with an active and curious mind. Having spent the last five years at Camp Half-Blood, she longs to test her mettle in the human world, which she barely remembers. She trains Percy to survive in the mythological world, and in turn, he helps her connect with her humanity. She is also depicted in the books as white.
Riordanresponded to the vitriol by praising the young actress and supporting the cast, calling any harassment Jeffries experienced racist in a blog post.
“It was clear to me as an author that I was looking for the best actors to embody and bring to life the personalities of these characters, and that physical appearance was secondary to me,” Riordan wrote. “We did that. It took us a year to go through this process thoroughly and find the best of the best. This trio is the best. Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase.”
He added, “You are judging his suitability for this role solely and solely by his appearance. She is a black girl who plays someone who is described in the books as white.
“Friends, that is racism.”
Jeffries is feeling the impact of this, as he stated on an Instagram live from earlier today that his Tik Toc profile is gone due to bullying. “All the people didn’t want me to be Annabeth, they took my whole account. I don’t have a Tik Toc account, but that’s not going to stop us!”
Based on the best-selling book series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians tells the story of a 12-year-old modern-day demigod, Percy Jackson (Scobell), who is coming to terms with his newfound godlike powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. With the help of his friends Grover (Simhadri) and Annabeth (Jeffries), Percy must embark on the adventure of a lifetime to find him and restore order to Olympus.
Riordan and Jon Steinberg will write the pilot, and James Bobin will direct. Steinberg will oversee the series with his producing partner Dan Shotz, who serves as executive producer alongside The Gotham’s Bobin, Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Bert Salke, Monica Owusu-Breen, Jim Rowe, Anders Engström, Jet Wilkinson and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein. Group. Jeremy Bell and DJ Goldberg.