Actress Alexandra Daddario has chimed in on the backlash against Leah Jeffries casting as Annabeth Chase in the upcoming Disney+ show Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Daddario previously played Annabeth Chase in two Percy Jackson films The Lightning Thief and Sea of Monsters. Leah Jeffries is going to be an incredible Annabeth!!!— Alexandra Daddario (@AADaddario) May 10, 2022In the book series, (written by Rick Riordan), Annabeth is a true daughter of the Greek goddess Athena, a brilliant strategist with an active and curious mind.
After having spent the last five years at Camp Half-Blood, she longs to test her mettle in the human world, of which she barely remembers.
She trains Percy to survive the mythological world, and in turn, he helps her connect with her humanity. She is also portrayed in the books as white.Riordan, hit back at the vitriol by praising the young actress and standing by the casting, calling any bullying Jeffries has experienced is racist in a blog post.“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,” Riordan wrote. “We did that.