Interview: Logan, Brandon, Jake and Alexandra, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Modern and Myth Collide as Young Stars Learn Life Lessons in Adventurous Movie Fantasy

By Lee Shoquist

The young stars of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, are poised on the edge of stardom in the year’s first big blockbuster. In a clever mix of modern and myth, the fantastical film tells the story of a troubled teen that embarks on an adventurous quest after discovering he is the son of Greek god Poseidon, skillfully balancing its very human kids with its very exciting adventure.

It’s a movie filled with vivid creations—a minotaur, hydra, a boy with goat’s legs and perhaps most importantly, a realistic look at a teen finding his way—and worth—in the world, while learning the value of friendships and family. Oh and Medusa herself shows up along the way.

Director Chris Columbus certainly knows his way around this genre and The Lightning Thief, the first movie adaptation of the popular adventure books by author Rick Riordan, is already creating a frenzy not seen since, well, a certain tiny, bespeckled magician did the same nearly a decade ago.

I recently sat down with the film’s young stars—Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Jake Abel and Alexandra Daddario—to chat about the film’s significance to today’s teens and their wild ride battling huge special effects while never losing sight of the story’s real meaning: embrace what makes you different, and you might just change the world.

For a fantasy film, this one strikes me as immediately accessible for young people.

Logan Lerman: There’s so much to relate to. First of all, it takes place in the modern day and not in some far away land that nobody can possibly ever imagine being in. And we are all real people. Percy is your average high school kid who as ADHD, his parents are separated. Anybody’s parents can be divorced. He looks down on himself and one day finds out he is the son of Poseidon; he is not who he thought he was. It’s all about learning how to embrace yourself and find adventure in life. It’s symbolic of everyday problems and how to deal with them.

Jake Abel: But it’s in that modern context. Instead of Percy as Perseus using the shield, he’s using an iPhone. Hermes is flying with high-top Chuck Taylor’s. So there’s that modern twist that separates it from anything else that has ever been done.

Brandon T. Jackson: We go to Vegas, New York and Nashville. His quest takes place in the United States. And it’s really cool. No offense to any other series, but I think Percy is cooler than Harry Potter’s character. The character of Percy has some disabilities and is from Brooklyn, and has a bit more of an edge to him. My character is from Brooklyn too, and we grew up together. And you think that (someone) is your best friend that you grew up with, but he is really half goat. But it is very based on reality.

The film has terrific special effects, as it should. But what resonates in this story most are themes of friendship and family. I know Catherine Keener plays Percy’s mother and that is an interesting relationship. And of course, the friendships.

BJ: It’s about how your greatest weaknesses become your greatest strengths. That is the main, underlying theme. There may be things inside you that you don’t know how to bring out, and with Percy, that is what my character, Grover, teaches him. And there are kids out there who really do not fit in. Some kids have ADHD. Growing up, I did, and as you can see, I’m a comedian and I used it to my advantage. I think parents can (relate) to that and also be entertained with Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan and Rosario Dawson are very entertaining. It’s not like you are sitting through a movie with screaming kids. You guys will enjoy it too!

LL: The most we can ever ask for is that you go in there and be entertained, and leave with a smile. You can talk about it afterwards and discover the reason behind it, about embracing who are you and making every part of you your strengths, even the things you think are your weaknesses.

JA: At the same time, you get tricked into learning something about the vast knowledge of Greek mythology!

Alexandra, you play a strong and interesting female character here. She is not just a sidekick to the boys. Describe her.

Alexandra Daddario: She has her own weaknesses, like any teenager. There are always things that you struggle with growing up and as you get older. And even with the obstacles and difficulties that you face, you can still overcome them. She has never met her mother and she has ADD. But she still continues to find and search for what she wants.

As a teenager, what were some of your weaknesses?

AD: Oh, family issues and school. Acting itself is difficult with the rejection and, “Is this something I should be doing?” It’s always nice to know that you can succeed despite what people might tell you; trusting yourself.

Your training ground was All My Children, which must have taken discipline at that age.

It was really exciting for me. At the time, I was sixteen and in high school, so I was juggling both at the same time. You shoot an episode a day on a soap and it’s a different pace. The quality is different than a film and it’s a different kind of work. It’s a good learning ground for beginning actors and learning lines every day has made it easy.

You’re acting with green screens, big effects and in many cases things that are not even in the scene with you at the moment you’re reacting. What’s the most difficult part about that process?

BJ: The most difficult part is making sure you also expand your imagination at the same time. The CGI can be drawn in to what you imagine. None of (the effects) are there. Chris Columbus is very collaborative and says, “Do what you want to do and we can work around it.” There is nothing there!

JA: I like when they tell you it’s going to look better later. They know you feel like such an idiot doing a certain thing and they say, “It’s going to look good.” I’m like, “Aaaaah,” I have to throw the lightning bolt! They are like, “Dude, you’re going to be underwater! It’s going to look so good!”

AD: And they are sitting in the editing room laughing!

JA: “What a jackass!”

BJ: Half of my body was erased! It was like, just my chest, walking around!

AD: There’s another scene where the three of us and Catherine Keener are pulling away from the fireplace and there are supposed to be souls that are grabbing us. So we’re just jumping around like this (jerks her body around)! Really funny.

LL: The only thing difficult about shooting this movie, in my opinion, was finding a comfort level to feel free to do whatever you wanted. That is what Chris is good at. One thing that helped me a lot was embarrassing myself. I would go out there and just scream my head off before a take, or do Ian McKellan impressions all day, “You shall not pass!” And then when we would get to a scene, it was actually easier to work with the green screens and markers because if you are able to have a good grasp of your imagination, you can work with a character that you create and the visual artists are going to create with you. You are playing with your imagination.

JA: Your only limitation is your imagination.

You are all young actors on the brink of stardom, and have been working for years in good projects. How will you evaluate future opportunities with the big picture of your careers in mind?

LL: It all depends on the directors. You make your choices based on that.

BJ: There are not a lot of innovative directors today. You have to find these guys and work with the right people. For me, it’s always like a creative choice. They’re always like, “We are going Black on this role.” I could do (500) Days of Summer, but… You have to get the good scripts.

Special thanks to Logan Lerman, Brandton T. Jackson, Jake Abel and Alexandra Daddario for this interview