Percy Jackson and the Olympians Actor Used Fans' Help to Prepare for the Role, Here's How
'I feel like I learned so much from the fans and their takes on things,' the actor says.
Summary
- PJatO was one of the most anticipated premieres of 2023.
- The compelling performance of the Season 1 antagonist was largely inspired by fans.
- Season 2 will delve deeper into the character's backstory.
As a new adaptation of Rick Riordan's eponymous book series, Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians captivated many viewers even before its release in late December 2023. Centered on the titular character, a young demigod who has just learned of his divine origins, the new show follows him as he learns the ways of his godly father in order to save the world.
It's been a day since Percy Jackson and the Olympians wrapped its first season, which explored the story of Lightning Thief Luke, son of Hermes, but already remarkable details about the finale are emerging. Portrayed by Charlie Bushnell, Luke had a very emotional and visually striking scene with Percy in which he told Percy of his motivation for stealing the bolt. And apparently, the actor used fan advice for this performance.
When Fans' Views Come in Handy
'In that final scene, Luke is essentially trying to recruit Percy, but it doesn't go in his favor. I think he believes that Percy will understand where he's coming from, and I think he believes that Percy is gonna be like, "You're right. Let's do this!"' Charlie Bushnell shared in a recent interview.
'But I saw someone online say, I think the fact that Percy had his mother growing up [means] Percy is still kind of new to this world. He's new to this magical world and Greek gods and demigods and monsters and all that.'
According to the actor, Percy Jackson and the Olympians fans helped him realize that not having his mother by his side growing up was the factor that affected Luke the most and what made him different from the title character.
'I think he's still, like, holding on to hope. But Luke has been in this world his whole life, and I think he's lost all hope and sees nothing positive about it. Even though their godly parents have been absent in both of their lives, I think there are a lot of parallels actually between the way Percy and Luke think about things,' the actor added.
'I think at the end of the day, Luke just wanted nothing more than to be loved, and Percy did have that in some ways whereas as Luke never really did.'
Luke is expected to be the focus of Season 2 of the show. So far, there hasn't been any news about PJatO's renewal. So let's be hopeful – just like Percy...
Source: Deadline.