Percy Jackson Cast Tease “A Lot” Of Stunts Coming In Disney+ Show

Percy Jackson and the Olympians may be captained by an adolescent ensemble, but that doesn’t mean that these young demigods aren’t going to get their hands dirty. As fans of the book series know, Camp Half-Blood operates as a haven for the Greek gods’ offspring first and as a battlefield second. Even when they aren’t fending off a labyrinth invasion or protecting Thalia’s tree from mythological monsters, CHB’s cabins spar with each other by playing a no punches pulled version of capture the flag, which is expected to come to life at some point in the Disney+ adaptation.

Those early episodes seem to be just the surface of what’s sure to be an action-packed first season. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians cast revealed that they have been practicing “a lot” of physicality.

“We learned a lot of stunts,” Leah Jeffries, who plays Annabeth Chase, said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, this is so hard.’ They were encouraging us. We were having fun.”

Walker Scobell, who plays leading man Percy Jackson, added that the stunt team created an inventive way for him to get familiar with his primary weapon.

“One of the training for the stunts was playing ping pong with swords,” Scobell said. “It was surprisingly not as hard as I thought it was going to be.”

That sword in question is Anaklusmos, better known as Riptide. This celestial bronze blade has the ability to pierce the skin of demigods, gods, titans, and monsters. Riptide disguises itself as a pen, only showcasing it’s full form when uncapped. Beyond that, it is enchantedly-linked to Percy himself, as it magically returns to his pockets whenever lost.

Aryan Simhadri, who plays Grover Underwood, added details about his unqiue training, which has tasked him with getting in touch with his inner animal.

“I learned how to walk like a goat,” Simhadri said. “I do that pretty much every day on set in conjunction with the vis effects that I wear. It’s gotten to the point where out in public I’ll be walking on my toes like a goat. I have to consciously put my heel down on the ground when I’m walking.”

In the books, Grover is a satyr: half man, half goat. While he starts The Lightning Thief in crutches walking around Yancy Academy, this ends up being no more than a disguise for his hooves.

Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson books and executive producer on this live-action serialized adaptation, chimed in, praising Jeffries, Scobell, and Simhadri for their work as a cohesive unit.

“To be able to see them gel as a team and bring such skill into everything they do, it is so gratifying,” Riordan said. “I couldn’t be prouder.”

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is currently in production, and is reportedly filming its Lotus Casino episode this week.