She might be perfect and a great actress but Annabeth is supposed to be blonde hair with grey eyes like Athena , To comments like that, the author said, You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. They said there was no way that she could be Starfire, a fictional alien from a make-believe planet. People were in her Instagram comments calling for her death. But the author added not every response has been supportive. Jeffries takes over the mantle of Annabeth Chase after the character was originally brought to life in the Percy Jackson movies by Alexandra Daddario. and The Doobie Brothers have nothing in common - except great books out this week. This entitlement is intertwined with white supremacy. Alexandra Daddario and author Rick Riordan sent support to Leah Jeffries amid fan backlash to the young actress being cast on the upcoming "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series on Disney+. The fact of the matter is that people should not be harassing Leah Jeffries and getting her TikTok removed because they feel a disconnect between her and a fictional book character. You have no one else to blame. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong," he continued. People feel as though they have a claim to the characters, and therefore their word is law. Watch the show or dont. We should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong, Riordan wrote. ! the actress wrote of her successor in a Twitter post earlier this week. - May 10, 2022 01:25 pm EDT. But following last weeks announcement that actress Leah Sava Jeffries was cast as the series deuteragonist and love interest Annabeth Chase, (@camphalfblood) May 10, 2022. Gender and race. ", The author added that those saying Jeffries doesn't fit the role because she's not white are dismissing her "years of hard work honing her craft, her talent, her tenacity, her focus, her screen presence. "As strong as Leah is, as much as we have discussed the potential for this kind of reaction and the intense pressure this role will bring, the negative comments she has received online are out of line. Annabeth must work ten times harder than everyone around her to be seen as powerful and worthy of being a hero. The only gift her mother ever gave her was an invisibility hat. And by the way, these criticisms have come from across the political spectrum, right and left.. Everyone was too old. main love interest for Percy. 1:58. So, want to know more about Leah? Meanwhile, Jaffries will portray Annabeth, a brilliant strategist and a daughter of Athena. Why can we not have both brand new characters and race-bend whatever characters we want? Of course, these people lack a basic understanding of the human body. Rick Riordan has strong words for fans upset with the casting of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," an upcoming Disney+ show based on his book series of the same name. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. In comparison to Elba, the backlash against Thompson was more violent and consistent. There were also people in the comments pretending to care about fat people to veil their racism. Nevertheless, when Idris Elba was cast as Heimdall in Thor, a similarly undervalued character, the backlash was horrific. It is not racist to want an actor who is accurate to the books description of the character!, You are upset/disappointed/frustrated/angry because a Black actor has been cast to play a character who was described as white in the books. Once you see Leah as Annabeth, she will become exactly the way you imagine Annabeth, assuming you give her that chance, but you refuse to credit that this may be true, he wrote. WebThen, on June 2, 2022, Variety and Rick Riordan announced five adult cast members joining the Percy Jackson crew. An open casting call was put out where people could submit auditions regardless of race. Now., After the announcement, fans of the mythological adventure called out the cast for not staying true to the book, like one Twitter user who said, I really wanted them to do everything by the book. From look I didnt want to be a half-blood, I was hooked. These three roles are interesting to note because of the reaction to the corresponding casting announcements. Annabeth Sign up to receive The Atlanta Black Star Newsletter in your inbox. The actress, who is Black, is set to star as one of the leads in the upcoming adaptation set to release on Disney+. "The response to the casting of Leah has been overwhelmingly positive and joyous, as it should be," Riordan wrote on his website. In the series, we follow 12-year-old Percy Jackson as he stumbles into the world of Greek gods and monsters. When Anna Diop was cast as Starfire in the DC show Titans, people could not fathom it. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. Watching her act with Walker and Aryan, I saw Annabeth Chase come to life. Please refresh the page and try again. Rick Riordan has strong words for fans upset with thecasting of"Percy Jackson and the Olympians," an upcoming Disney+ show based on his book series of the same name. In a lengthy blog post published earlier this week, She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as whitethat is racism.#LeahIsOurAnnabeth Read Ricks statement at the link below:https://t.co/DGeOzrjZuw. 'It is not racist to want an actor who is accurate to the books description of the character!' Leahs co-star, Aryan Simhadri, was not met with the same backlash, nor should he have been. Not even 24 hours after the worst of the attacks had begun, Riordan published a blog post where he called the trolling what it was, racist, and demanded that it stopped. It should mean almost everything. They say that they could not picture Annabeth as Black, however for myself and many other Black women she was never anything other than that. How The Mandalorian Wrote Out Gina Carano Is Cara Dune Still Alive? She is not even a teenager. By Allison Schonter - May 12, 2022 09:18 am EDT. Alexandra Daddario Supports Percy Jackson Series Casting Of Annabeth Role As Leah Jeffries Speaks Out About Online Bullying, Hoda Kotb Absent From Today Due To Family Health Matter, Savannah Guthrie Still Out After Positive Covid Test, Hoda Kotb's Today Absence Due to 'Family Health Matter', iPhone GIFs Not Working? Leahs Annabeth Chase is a true daughter of the Greek goddess Athena, who is a brilliant strategist with an active and curious mind. IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. Rick Riordan will not stand for any racism toward or bullying of the new "Percy Jackson" cast. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong. May 5th was D-Day. We took a year to do this process thoroughly and find the best of the best. May 10, 2022 Shannen Michaelsen Last week, it was announced that Leah Sava Jeffries would portray Annabeth Chase and Aryan Simhadri would portray Grover Alexandra Cinemablend is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Anyone can be a hero. She revealed in an Instagram live session that she was even driven to delete her TikTok account after receiving such hateful messages. WebAnnabeth Chase is a Greek demigod, daughter of the goddess Athena and professor Frederick Chase, and the cousin of Norse demigod Magnus Chase. First, let me be clear I am speaking here only for myself," Riordan clarified. The only other thing she has is her wisdom and her ambition. You have no one else to blame, he said. THEY ARE CHILDREN GIVE THEM LOVE INSTEAD BC THEYRE THE PERFECT CASTING FOR THE PERCY JACKSON TV SHOW., A REMINDER THAT NO HATE FOR WALKER SCOBELL, LEAH SAVA JEFFRIES, AND ARYAN SIMHADRI ARE ALLOWED THEY ARE CHILDREN GIVE THEM LOVE INSTEAD BC THEY'RE THE PERFECT CASTING FOR THE PERCY JACKSON TV SHOW . However, when Jason Momoa, a Polynesian man with brown hair and brown eyes, was cast as the character in 2014, there was very little backlash. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the opinions of any part of Disney, the TV show, the production team, or the Jeffries family. When I was 10 years old, I discovered a book series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. Alexandra Daddario originally portrayed the role of Annabeth in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, as well as its sequel The Sea of Monsters. Its a shame such posts need to be written, but they doLeah brings so much energy and enthusiasm to this role, so much of Annabeths strength. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Halle Bailey being cast as Ariel in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid had some people saying it was scientifically impossible for a mermaid to be Black. Thats your call. Who would be Grover? Tessa Thompsons casting as Valkyrie, on the other hand, unleashed a hellfire of vitriol. The Chris Columbus-directed film was greeted with a lukewarm reception from critics and even worse reactions from devout fans of the series. This was the moment of redemption that everyone had been waiting for. And before you resort to the old kneejerk reaction I am not racist! lets examine that statement too. She might be perfect and a great actress but Annabeth is supposed to be blonde hair with grey eyes like Athena., I really wanted them to do everything by the book. And it seems for the most part that fans (and Alexandra Daddario) cant wait to see Leah Jeffries play everyones favorite daughter of Athena. When reading the reactions to his casting most of the comments were about how genius Riordans casting was except for a few expected trolls. Heres how it works. Except not quite. A Special Thank You to @disneyplus @rickriordan this is such a wonder experience Im so excited and to all the PERCY JACKSON & ANNABETH fans!!! You can keep up with Leah Sava Jeffries by following her on Instagram @leahsavajeffries! You either are not aware, or have dismissed, Leahs years of hard work honing her craft, her talent, her tenacity, her focus, her screen presence. The response to Diors casting is colored by her being an antagonist, meanwhile, Leah is playing a hero. Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. The Wise Girl has arrived!. On Tuesday, the young adult novelist, 57, spoke out against backlash the show has received after Variety announced last ThursdaythatLeah Jeffries, a 12-year-old Black actress, will play Annabeth Chase, whom Riordan described in the books as white. Her story is about how she feels ignored, underestimated, and abandoned. Like its so cool, Annabeth is a really inspiring character to people, she said. If you have a problem with this casting, however, take it up with me. I have been clear, as the author, that I was looking for the best actors to inhabit and bring to life the personalities of these characters, and that physical appearance was secondary for me. The casting of Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase in the upcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians series resulted in some backlash from book fans regarding race People could not wrap their heads around a Black figure in Norse mythology the same mythos in which Loki gives birth to a horse. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. In the movie version, the characters were portrayed by Brandon T. Jackson and Alexandra Daddario. 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I was quite clear a year ago, when we announced our first open casting, that we would be following Disneys company policy on nondiscrimination: We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. This is not unique to the Percy Jackson fandom. NY 10036. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong., The New York Times bestselling author said that although he and Leah discussed the potential for this kind of reaction and the intense pressure this role will bring, the negative comments she has received online are out of line. He added, They need to stop. Two-thirds of the main trio would no longer be white like they had once been in the books. There was a problem. The core message of Percy Jackson has always been that difference is strength. They said that Clarisse was white and built. What is it about black girls that make people so ready and willing to tear them down or put them in their place?. 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