Its how we navigate the world based on what were taught and our own personal histories.. Some of you have apparently felt offended or exasperated when your objections are called out online as racist. Uncle Rick officially welcomes them to the Percy Jackson cast. Eli Lilly cuts insulin prices up to 70% amid federal pressure to lower costs of life-saving medication, Joshua Cohen's 'The Netanyahus,' more awarded 2022 Pulitzer Prizes in books, drama, music, Notorious B.I.G. You have no one else to blame, he said. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. She should not have to be strong in the face of blatant misogynoir by people who want to put her in her place or dim her shine. 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. Take a look at her message below: Leah Jeffries is going to be an incredible Annabeth!! She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind of hero they want to be. For every role, please submit qualified performers without regard to disability, gender, race and ethnicity, age, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis prohibited by law. I, for one, am excited for Leah Jeffries to bring life to one of my favorite characters, and I am carving her name into the Emmys right now. Percy Jackson creator Rick Riordan had to pen a letter supporting Leah Jeffries after she had been cast as Annabeth Chase in the Disney+ series. This contributes to the severity of the attacks on these actresses despite vocal support from the author himself. These thoughts are mine alone. They join Walker Scobell, who will portray the titular Percy. Since then, there has been significant backlash to the casting of Jeffries, a Black actress, as Annabeth, described as white with blonde hair in the original books. Author Rick Riordan, who is also writing the series and cast the actors, has responded to the backlash on his blog. She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind of hero they want to be.". Ten thousand other actresses of various backgrounds auditioned for Annabeth and Rick Riordan hand-picked Leah. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong. It should mean almost everything. I have it. Now. Its either something we recognize and try to work on, or its something we deny. Atlanta Black Star is a narrative company. She also is playing the (10-year-old spoiler alert!) (As a fat person myself, I am happy with this change as the way they were written in the original books was to be insulting. In the second film, Alexandra dyed her hair blonde to resemble Annabeth more. She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind hero they want to be," the creator observed. Thu, 05 May 2022 at 6:56 pm Tweet Who Is Leah Sava Jeffries? Dior herself has mentioned that she is in the gym, as if that matters. Aryan Simhadri (Disneys Spin) and Leah Sava Jeffries (Empire) will join the show as Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase, respectively. Fans are already excited to see the young actress in the role, and Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan is also praising her. Her story is about how she feels ignored, underestimated, and abandoned. For every role, please submit qualified performers, without regard to disability, gender, race and ethnicity, age, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other basis prohibited by law. and The Doobie Brothers have nothing in common - except great books out this week, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. But this will be an adaptation that I am proud of, and which fully honors the spirit of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, taking the bedtime story I told my son twenty years ago to make him feel better about being neurodivergent, and improving on it so that kids all over the world can continue to see themselves as heroes at Camp Half-Blood. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white. You have no one else to blame. She was the daughter of Olivia Lyon, Jamals ex wife, who claimed she was his daughter, but it turned out she wasnt. The response to the casting of Leah has been overwhelmingly positive and joyous, as it should be. These three roles are interesting to note because of the reaction to the corresponding casting announcements. "These thoughts are mine alone. Who would take roles as the gods and, more importantly, who would be Annabeth? ", "You have decided that I couldnt possibly mean what I have always said: That the true nature of the character lies in their personality. The idea of blackwashing is a clear example of misogynoir. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. 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. Watching her act with Walker and Aryan, I saw Annabeth Chase come to life. The relatively muted outrage can be attributed to a lack of enthusiasm surrounding the character. ", Related:Joshua Cohen's 'The Netanyahus,' more awarded 2022 Pulitzer Prizes in books, drama, music. If you dont get that, if youre still upset about the casting of this marvelous trio, then it doesnt matter how many times you have read the books. 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Author Rick Riordan, who wrote the original Percy Jackson novels, released a statement on his website defending the young actress. ", You are judging [Leah]s appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. Annabeth has always been incredibly important to me. They need to stop. Arguably, Pattons role as Iris West started the trend of race-bending originally white characters with Black actors. Percy Jackson film vet Alexandra Daddario has weighed in. 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. Except not quite. First, let me be clear I am speaking here only for myself. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white. In the series, we follow 12-year-old Percy Jackson as he stumbles into the world of Greek gods and monsters. The author noted, We did that, and The casting process was long, intense, massive and exhaustive.. From look I didnt want to be a half-blood, I was hooked. If you have a problem with this casting, however, take it up with me. Thank you for signing up to CinemaBlend. Copyright 2023 ComicBook.com. The character could not be Biracial. The key differences between the two actors? You refuse to believe her selection could have been based on merit. New York, ", "If you don't get that, if you're still upset about the casting of this marvelous trio, then it doesn't matter how many times you have read the books. Shes real and fleshed out. Empire fans may recognize Leah from her role as Lola on the hit Fox drama. The Chris Columbus-directed film was greeted with a lukewarm reception from critics and even worse reactions from devout fans of the series. Rick Riordan created Percy Jackson and the Olympians as a way for his son to see himself in the neurodiverse characters of the world. 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Annabeth By Petrana Radulovic May 5, 2022, 1:48pm EDT Image: Disney The main trio of Percy Jackson and the Olympians has officially been cast for the upcoming Disney Plus At times, her character gets into situations that are not pretty. We took a year to do this process thoroughly and find the best of the best. She does not have superpowers like her closest friends. Warm messages continued to pour in, including one from a Twitter user who commented, A REMINDER THAT NO HATE FOR WALKER SCOBELL, LEAH SAVA JEFFRIES, AND ARYAN SIMHADRI ARE ALLOWED. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the opinions of any part of Disney, the TV show, the production team, or the Jeffries family. Why can we not have both brand new characters and race-bend whatever characters we want? On Tuesday, the author issued a lengthy statement defending the casting of Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase. 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"Buckle up, demigods. He is heavily involved with the show, however, and most recently welcomed the two new cast members on his blog, highly praising both actors (and sharing a picture of him and the three leads). There were also people in the comments pretending to care about fat people to veil their racism. Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase. While Walker does not have Percys signature Black hair, Riordan assured everyone that he embodied Percy the best. The only other thing she has is her wisdom and her ambition. In 2012, Amandla Stenberg was cast as Rue Barnette in The Hunger Games. IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. You have no one else to blame. One of the main gripes that anchored discourse in online circles was the way the characters looked. In a lengthy blog post published earlier this week, Representation will not bring us liberation, but it is nice to think about the little Black girls that will get to see themselves as one of the most powerful characters in the series. You should never judge someone by how well they fit your preconceived notions. Jeffries takes over the mantle of Annabeth Chase after the character was originally brought to life in the Percy Jackson movies by Alexandra Daddario. In fact, when the author himself says that you have misunderstood the character as he wrote her, then you know youre wrong. Not only is the backlash just blatant misogynoir, but it also shows a complete lack of imagination on the part of these members of the audience. There is power in plurality. 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