Interview: Cast of ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians’ Capture the Lightning

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CHICAGO – Bringing a popular book series to screen is successfully achieved primarily through casting, and the adaptation of “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” is no exception. The young cast brims with enthusiasm for the new movie.

Logan Lerman (Percy), Brandon T. Jackson (Grover), Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth) and Jake Abel (Luke) can expect a higher profile from fans of the book series. Percy is an ordinary New York City kid who finds out his dyslexia and ADHD disorder are part of his unknown powers – he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon. His adventures center around the discovery of these powers, and his cohorts helping him to find the truth behind a stolen lightning sword from the top god Zeus.

Brandon T. Jackson, Logan Lerman and Alexandra Daddario in ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief’ Photo credit: © 2010 Fox 2000 Pictures

HollywoodChicago.com caught up with the four main cast members of the film during a recent publicity tour. They talked about the challenges of filming a special effects laden epic and capturing the well-known characters.

HollywoodChicago.com: Logan, what will the audience find in this film that they won’t expect?

Logan Lerman: There is so much to relate to in the film. It takes place in modern day and we’re all real people. Percy is an average high schooler with everyday problems, dyslexia, ADHD and step parent problems. And when he finds out he is the son of Poseidon, he’s not who he thought he was. His disadvantages become advantages, and he finds out how to embrace who he is. It’s symbolic of everyday problems and how to deal with them.

Jake Abel: And, after all these years, the gods are still bickering among themselves (laughs). The modern twist uses iPhones as reflectors and Chuck Taylors as flying shoes, which separates it from anything else. At the same time, you may be tricked into learning something. You may walk away with a vast knowledge of greek mythology without even realized you been taught it, in a weird way.

Brandon T. Jackson: The quest also takes place here, in the United States. We go to Las Vegas, Nashville and all over, which is really cool. Percy, I think, is also cooler as a character than Harry Potter since he comes from Brooklyn, and is a little edgier. My character of Grover is from there too, and so Percy gets to discover that his friend is half goat.

HC: The family side of the film, as represented by Catherine Keener as Percy’s Mother, is also significant. What kind of family message is the film reaching for?

Jackson: It’s about your greatest weaknesses becoming your greatest strengths. Especially for younger people. What you may view as these weaknesses can end up to your advantage, that’s what Percy learns. And that’s what Grover teaches him.

HC: Alexandra, your female character is as strong as the male demigods in this film. What can the audience expect from her?

Alexandra Daddario: It all about overcoming obstacles. Even though she’s never met her mother, she still continues to search for what she needs. I relate that back to my own life with family situations, school and even acting itself – with its rejections – for overcoming those obstacles.

HC: Alexandra, you started out on a soap opera, “All My Children.” How does doing that compare to doing a feature film?

Daddario: It’s very different. I was 16 years old when I did the TV show and juggling high school with it. You do one show a day on a soap, and you shoot it all in about 45 minutes, as compared to a two hour film in five months. It is a different pace as an actor and a different type of quality. But with the soap, just being in front of a camera helped me, and its a really good learning ground for starting out. I learned how to memorize lines, for example, I don’t even have to try anymore to do it.

Left to Right: Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Logan Lerman and Brandon T. Jackson in Chicago on January 19th, 2010. Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

HC: Where does a film like this take you in a career path? What are your expectations in a business that is making bigger and bigger films like “Avatar”?

Lerman: It depends on the filmmakers, really. The story needs to be there as well. I like to have complete faith in the directors I work with, my choices are based on that.

Jackson: I want to find new, innovative directors. There is not a lot of innovation out there. Finding those guys and working with the right people is key. It’s always a creative choice.

HC: How hard is it to concentrate on acting when you’re in a big special effects epic?

Jackson: The most difficult part is expanding your imagination while at the same time doing the right actions for the computer generated graphics being drawn in. Chris Columbus, the director, is like ‘do what you want to do and we can work around it.’ We’re stabbing different things, cutting different things, and there was nothing there (laughs). They just drew it in later.

Abel: They always tell you it will look better later, even when you look like an idiot doing crazy moves in front of people (laughs).

Daddario: I think they sit in the editing room laughing at us.

Jackson: I saw half my body erased until I just became a floating head.

Lerman: It’s really about finding a comfort level to feel free to do whatever you want, and that’s what Chris is good at. One thing that helped me was embarrassing myself a lot. I’d go out there and scream my head off before a take and do Ian McKellen impressions all day – ‘you shall not pass!’

It’s actually a little easier to work with nothing there sometimes. Because if you have a good grasp of your imagination you can work with a character that you create, the visual artists create, and the director creates with you. Just do whatever you want, and play with your imagination.

Abel: Also your only limitation is your imagination.

By PATRICK McDONALD Senior Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com