Percy Jackson & the Olympians, the book series by author Rick Riordan, once reigned supreme in the world of young adult fiction. Books on demigods and monsters hiding in plain sight around New York City captured the imagination of many readers, lost in a world dictated by the gods of Greek mythology.
Riordan’s work has since made its way into Hollywood, but this was quickly cut short after fans made their distaste for the film adaptations of the first two books (both starring Logan Lerman) clear. However, Disney+ has since cracked the code of adapting Riordan’s Greek-inspired heroes, and it returns with the second season of its well-loved TV adaptation, Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Taking inspiration from Riordan’s second book, The Sea of Monsters, this season follows demigods Percy (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) as they navigate a world quickly falling apart. The third of their trio, Grover (Aryan Simhadri), is missing. Camp Half-Blood, the Long Island training facility where the gods’ children spend their summers, is in complete disarray. And the new camp director, Tantalus (Timothy Simons), is out to deal them a vengeful fate.
On Finding The Humanity in Antagonists
Adding to the show’s tension is antihero Luke Castellan (Charlie Bushnell), a former head camp counselor who’s turned his back against Percy and his demigod peers.
“They were looking for someone who could play a nice guy,” Bushnell said jokingly in an interview with Rolling Stone Philippines. “ I needed to be a nice camp counselor version of Luke. But I also had to show this darker side of him as well.”
Bushnell, a young actor from Los Angeles, California, had previously made several small-screen appearances in shows like Disney+’s Diary of a Future President and Peacock’s In the Know. His role as Luke is arguably his most impactful one yet, as Bushnell has learned to dive deep into the humanity that makes him such a compelling antihero.
“That was something I was actually worried about,” said Bushnell when asked about his feelings stepping into a more antagonistic role. “Sometimes, when actors play villains, or just terrible people in general, they get a lot of hate for it. But I really appreciate what the show has done for Luke and making these changes to [help you] understand why he’s doing all this. You get to see this revolutionary side to him, but he really just wants a better world for everyone. He’ll do anything to make that happen.”
On What’s To Come This Season
Bushnell had been a junior in high school while auditioning for his role on the show. “I remember I was so stressed that week, because I was still in school,” he recalled. “I didn’t even think I could do it, it was that brutal. And when I got it… you don’t really get any breaks, you kind of just have to switch on and off between school and the set.”
Like Bushnell, many of the show’s main actors were still in school at the time they were cast for their roles. However, their similarities in age helped create a closer bond between them on-set. Bushnell, in particular, grew close to co-star Walker Scobell, who plays the show’s titular hero. “One of my favorite moments during production, and you can see this in the documentary [Disney] made for Season 1, but there’s this moment when me and Walker are trying to get the perfect dap,” said Bushnell. “We were on the soundstage, too, so there was this really good echo. We both just looked at the camera then, because that was the best one we’d ever gotten.”
For the upcoming season, Bushnell notes that there’s significantly more development in Luke’s character. “I got to work with Leah [Jeffries] a lot more this season, so it was exciting to touch on their relationship,” said Bushnell. “There are also a few more flashbacks this season to when Luke, Thalia (Tamara Smart), and a younger Annabeth are together on the road. I think those are really impactful scenes, because you get to see what kind of reality it was to be a young demigod living on the street, having to fend for yourself and fight off monsters every day. How terrifying and lonely that life was. And well, now Luke’s on a cruise ship with his cronies. He’s living it up.”
The first two episodes of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 stream on Disney+ on December 10. Following episodes will be released every Wednesday.
