EXCLUSIVE: Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, & Aryan Simhadri Talk New Series, ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’

Percy Jackson and the Olympians hits Disney+ tomorrow, December 20. To celebrate, we got the chance to chat with the shows three leads, Walker Scobell, who plays Percy Jackson. Leah Sava Jeffries, who plays Annabeth Chase, and Aryan Simhadri, who plays Grover Underwood.

During the chat, the trio talked how well they knew the book series prior to being cast, their favorite Greek myth, what they took from set, and so much more. Check out what they had to say below.

On how well they knew the books prior to being cast:

Scobell: “I’ve been reading the books since third grade and, uh, it’s been really great to be able to experience, uh, filming the books I’ve read since I was in third grade, I’ve read the book seven times, the first…”
Simhadri: “Seven now?”
Walker Scobell: “Seven, yeah. I read them in high school.”
Simhadri: “we were huge fans of the books before I, I mean, me personally, I was a huge fan before I even knew that they were starting a show. So getting to play such an iconic character has been, like just amazing.”
Jeffries: And to add on to that. I literally agreed with all what they said. Before I had got the part for Percy Jackson, I was at school writing, um, a mini essay on Percy Jackson, actually. And, when I found that I got the part and stuff, I had to do a little book in my school assignment and I found out that I had the essay because I kind of forgot for a second. So it was super-exciting to know that I’d spoken to Percy Jackson.”

On which Greek God they would be:

Simhadri: “I’d say Hermes, mostly because he can fly.”
Scobell:”I would say, I mean, I kind of have the same side.
Simhadri: “Yeah, right?”
Scobell: “That is, Hermes is a good answer. I would choose—I would, I might choose Hermes so I could be Lin-Manuel Miranda.”
Simhadri: “Yeah. Oh, yeah, that’s very good.”
effries: “I would definitely choose Athena, which is my mother ’cause I want to be her. Either Athena or Zeus because I have control over everything.”
Scobell: “Oh, that’s a good one.”

On what they loved most about the story and their characters:

Jeffries: “I took this character and I mixed it up, and when I say mix it up, I made sure that I still had Annabeth but was also giving my natural self. I think that really played, a big part in stuff. I have a goofy side of me, but I also have that straightforward, serious, ‘Let’s get straight to the point,’ person, and I definitely didn’t just mix Annabeth with, like, ‘Guys, stop, you’re so jokey.’ But, that would be really, really crazy. But, I definitely, like, Mr. Rick, he told us to, be ourselves when we film this, so, I think that’s what made the chemistry really good between all of us with playing this part, but still giving Annabeth, Percy, and Grover at the same time.”
Scobell: “I kind of agree with that. I don’t think I really made him my—I mean, we all kind of did in a way, but I think it was more like for the show. We tried to ground it a little bit more in real life. And I think that it’s really important to remember that he’s still a 12-year-old kid. I mean, kids throw tantrums, sometimes they get angry. I think iit’s much more of an emotional journey for him.”
Simhadri: “I completely agree, we all brought ourselves into the character. What I really liked about Grover is that he kind of starts out like really skittish, a little cowardly. But you can still see that he’s always willing to put himself in front of his friends. And kind of like Walker said, that journey that all of us go through, Grover comes out of his shell a little bit more and is more willing to kind of throw himself in front of danger to protect the people that he cares about. ”

On Percabeth:

Scobell: “There’s a lot of great moments in the show. I think one of my favorite moments is in the Tunnel of Love. I think it really kind of sets up the relationship for the rest of the series.”
Jeffries: “I agree. I actually agree with what he said in the Tunnel of Love because I think that that’s really when you can start to see the chemistry and the intenseness of how the friendship is building into it. Definitely at first Annabeth and Percy were enemies almost to each other. So, when it was in the Tunnel of Love, that’s what made them realize like, ‘Oh, this person not so bad, and you know, you’re not so bad either.’”

On experiencing Camp Half-Blood for the first time:

Scobell:”It was really, really surreal, I guess it’s the only way to put it. It was really weird being there because you’ve been imagining it for so long and finally getting to see it is like, it’s not real.”
Jeffries: “Mm-hm. I’ve never seen people bring something that was just like a story that was written out to life so good. Like, I’ve never seen somebody bring so much detail from a book and actually add it the specificness of how they said the grass look or how the trees look. Everything in the book was literally like it came out. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, well, maybe we should change that a little bit.’ It was like, ‘No, we specifically want this, like that one piece of bark is red.’ They brought everything to life. So like what Walker said, it was very surreal because when they were first like, ‘Okay, we’re gonna bring you to Camp Half-Blood,” I was like, ‘Okay, cool.’ And when I went there I walked out feeling like I actually lived in that book and it was very surprising and very unimaginable.”

On which part of themselves did they implement into their characters or take from their characters:

Simhadri: “Walker’s definitely very, uh, rebellious.”
Scobell: “I think Percy’s sense of humor. I have a very similar sense of humor to him.”
Jeffries: “I would say Annabeth’s vulnerability. I think her vulnerability, while bringing out the focusedness of her, I feel like I can definitely be focused but also have a deep sensitivity to me as well.”
Simhadri: “For Grover,one of my favorite things when reading his character in the books was how connected he is to everyone he cares about, which is a trait that I really admire in him and it’s something that I really wanna try and take from the character and put it into this story as much as I can.”

On which scene they are most excited for fans to see:

Scobell: “The Ares fight.”
Simhadri: ‘Yeah!”
Scobell: “I mean, come on. It’s the Ares fight.”
Simhadri: “For both. It’s turned out so well.”
Scobell: “I don’t even think there needs to be an explanation. It’s the Ares fight.”
Simhadri: “It’s the Ares fight.”
Jeffries: “It is the Ares fight.”
Simhadri: “Also, the Council of Cloven Elders scene was really fun. I’m not sure if it made it to the final cut or not, but it was just this day of, like, everyone was dressed like me, everyone was bleeding. Like no one talked with words except for me, and by the end of the day I could understand word by word what everything meant. It was so much fun.”

On what it was like working with an almost entirely teenage cast:

Simhadri: “It was strange at first. When we started, I was 16—15 or 16, and Walker was like 12.And it was strange because they carry themselves with so much more maturity than you would expect of a 12-year-old. I got to work alongside peers instead of having to—this is gonna sound mean, but babysit. They were, they were really good.”
Scobell: “It’s certainly made it a lot more fun because there’s more kids on set. I love working with adults. They’re great. But sometimes it’s fun to have someone your own age there, like Leah or Aryan.”

On if they took anything from set:

Simhadri: “On camera, no. Everything is where it should be.”
Scobell: “I did take the sword, I took two swords. I took a metal one and the bamboo one.”
Simhadri: “You got the metal one?”
Scobell: “I did. I kind of forced him to give me the metal one on accident because I kept telling him I was going to steal it and I think they believed me. I’m pretty sure there was a whole meeting about it. But, I did get to take the metal one. I got to take my armor and they told me I could only take one outfit, but I just put them all in a duffel bag and left. I’m a little afraid to go back.”
Simhadri: “I managed to get a hold of the, the shoes, the flying shoes that, that me and Walker wear the, the ones that Luke gives us. I wear them on almost a daily basis. I also got a set of one of the bamboo swords of Riptide and his shield from Capture the Flag. That was really cool. Oh, and the Mythomagic cards. I got like a full deck of those.”
Jeffries: “I actually took a whole centaur home with me.”
Simhadri: “What?”
Jeffries: “I took the whole thing. I took him. But what I did really take was I got two shields. I have my own personal and I have the Camp Half-Blood shield and I have the necklace with my father’s ring on it. I also have my jacket I wear in the show. And I feel like I’m forgetting something.”
Simhadri: “Did you get a dagger?”
Jeffries: “I did. I wanted to get the metal one, but I couldn’t, sadly. But I did get one thing, but I don’t know if I’m supposed to say that.”

On their favorite Greek myth:

Simhadri: “Orpheus and Eurydice. Mostly ’cause Hadestown is my favorite, like, thing ever, I love Hadestown and it’s just such a good myth. There’s so many, like, versions of it. Each one is, I don’t know, sadder than the last. It’s my favorite myth.”
Scobell: “I think I’m gonna have to go Achilles or Icarus. Both of them are pretty awesome, I can’t pick.”

The first two episodes will premiere tomorrow on Disney+. Make sure to check them out!

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity