Percy Jackson and the Olympians is doing one of those quiet-but-important tweaks heading into Season 2: Chris Rodriguez has been recast. If you blinked and went, "Wait, who was Chris again?" you are not alone, and the producers basically admit that confusion is baked in. Here is what actually changed and why it makes sense.
What changed, exactly
- Chris Rodriguez, a demigod son of Hermes, will now be played by Kevin Chacon in Season 2.
- In Season 1, the name Chris Rodriguez only appeared in the credits, attached to Andrew Alvarez. You never really met him on screen as a defined character.
- Alvarez is still on the show, just in a different capacity at Camp Half-Blood.
Why they made the switch
Co-creator Jonathan E. Steinberg told Entertainment Weekly the Season 1 credit was more of a wink than a real introduction. In his words, it was essentially an Easter egg for fans, not something they built into the story in a meaningful way.
Executive producer Craig Silverstein said the change is about scope: Chris has a bigger, meatier role in Season 2, and Season 1 gave them almost nothing to build on. So they slotted in Kevin Chacon as Chris and kept Alvarez around as the character we actually saw last season.
"I look at it as not a recasting, because the character that Andrew played that you met in season 1 continues, and Chris Rodriguez was always there as Kevin."
Rick Riordan backs it
Author Rick Riordan is on board. He pointed out that while Alvarez was credited as Chris in Season 1, it was never obvious who that character was to viewers. Season 2 is the first time we actually meet Chris Rodriguez as a full character, so the team found the right person who was available for the expanded part: Kevin Chacon.
The simple version
Season 1 slipped the name 'Chris Rodriguez' into the credits without really introducing him. Season 2 needs a real, fully-present Chris, so they cast Kevin Chacon. Andrew Alvarez stays at Camp Half-Blood, just not as Chris. It sounds like a recast, but what the producers are really doing is formalizing a character who was only a name before.