Percy Jackson: Original Movie’s Star Joe Pantoliano Reflects on Working With Chris Columbus

Percy Jackson and the Olympians has new life on Disney+. The house of mouse produced a serialized reboot of Rick Riordan’s best-selling novels in December 2023, chronicling the events of the first installment in the Percy Jackson pentalogy, The Lightning Thief. This was the second crack at telling The Lightning Thief story in live-action, as 20th Century Fox previously produced Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in 2010. Logan Lerman suited up as the titular demigod and was joined by Alexandria Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Jake Abel, Steve Coogan, Rosario Dawson and more in the supporting ensemble.

Joe Pantoliano Reflects on Percy Jackson (2010)

Within that supporting ensemble was Joe Pantoliano, a veteran actor of Bad Boys fame, who played Percy’s step-father Gabe Ugliano. Speaking to ComicBook in celebration of Bad Boys: Ride or Die‘s home media release, Pantoliano reflected on his experience shooting Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, noting he was most honored to work alongside director Chris Columbus.

“I just was so happy to be able [to do it],” Pantoliano said. “Chris Columbus asked me to come on the film. Chris wrote the Goonies, and so to be able to work with him and to be able to be directed by him, it became like a full circle. I just remember having such a good time with him.”

Pantoliano’s role has since been taken on by Timm Sharp, as the portrayed Gabe Ugliano in four episodes of Percy Jackson Season 1 on Disney+. The streaming series was more of a 1:1 adaptation to The Lightning Thief than the theatrical release was, and that meant an enhanced role for Sharp’s Gabe.

“They did something that I’ve never had done to me on this show, where they put me in this chamber with all of these cameras to do these 3D renderings of my entire body,” Sharp explained when asked about delivering Percy Jackson Season 1’s prophecy. “I had to do all these different facial expressions for that scene so I could come out of the oracle’s mouth. Then, on set that day, I was actually there doing it.”

Pantoliano can be seen in Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which is available on home media now. Percy Jackson Season 2 is currently in production and is set to stream in 2025.