In a recent interview, Percy Jackson and the Olympians star Virginia Kull (who plays Percy’s mother Sally) praised the titular character’s actor, Walter Scobell, reflecting fondly on her time spent with him on set. The Disney+ series just wrapped up its first season this week, leaving fans already eager for more after the finale teased a Kronos-centric plotline. Alongside Scobell, the series stars Leah Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri as Annabeth and Grover alongside actors like Lin Manuel-Miranda, Megan Mullaly, and Jason Matzoukas.
Since its release late last year, Percy Jackson has received critical praise for its authentic adaptation of the books and stellar performances, particularly Scobell’s. In a recent Screen Rant interview about Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Virginia Kull reflected on what it was like working on set with him and forming a mother-son dynamic, praising the young actor for his professionalism. Check out the full quote below:
Virginia Kull: It’s been great fun. Walker has boundless energy. And he’s my favorite kid. He’s the kid that has the twinkle in his eye, where it looks like he’s up to something. There’s some mischief there. And you’re like, “Uh-oh.” But it’s so fun. And it’s kept me on my toes.
There’s lots of silliness on set, particularly between him and Aryan. The scene, the car crash scene was I think over a week on a gimbal, which is some hydraulic lift. And in the Camaro, we’re 15 feet in the air, I’m popping Dramamine like they’re Tic Tacs, and he and Aryan are just screaming like they’re on the best roller coaster at Disneyland. And they’re just silly, and fun, and creative. And he’s got a crazy steel trap of a memory. He memorizes whole scenes from movies, and will just quote them in between takes.
We had a ball. His family was there for a lot of the time, and I adored getting to know them. In addition to being great fun, and silly, and playful, and fantastic, sharp sense of humor, he’s also really malleable, and open to direction. He wants to learn, he wants to get better. And it’s so exciting as an adult working with a child to say, “Oh wow. Look at this young professional.” He was a total pro. It was really impressive.
Percy Jackson Season 1 Ending Explained
Percy Jackson season 1’s ending is here, providing several twists, turns, and major reveals as the quest for the Master Bolt reaches its finale.
Percy Jackson & The Olympians Improves The Books’ Mother-Son Relationship
Though widely praised for its faithfulness to Riordan’s source material, there are still differences between the Percy Jackson books and the series, and one of the biggest is how it adds new depth to the characters. This is especially true for Sally, with new flashback scenes that better demonstrate her care and compassion for Percy, and other segments showing her relationship with Poseidon help give their relationship more context. The books tend to use Sally more as a plot device rather than delving into her independently, and the show’s changes help make her character more compelling.
In the books, readers never doubted how important Sally was and how much she meant to Percy, but for the most part that’s all she was. With the show’s new additions coupled with the great working relationship between Kull and Scobell allow for a much more meaningful relationship portrayed onscreen. Though it’s still unknown if a second season of Percy Jackson is in the works, if more episodes are produced there is certainly much more to be explored when it comes to Percy and Sally.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
- Release Date
- December 20, 2023
- Cast
- Walker Scobell , Leah Sava Jeffries , Aryan Simhadri , Jason Mantzoukas , Megan Mullally , Glynn Turman , Adam Copeland , Virginia Kull , Lance Reddick
- Seasons
- 1
- Writers
- Rick Riordan , Jonathan E. Steinberg
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney Plus
