Percy Jackson shares with us: “This isn’t Twilight, this isn’t about puckering your lips and looking good.”

‘Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is the modern day tale of ancient Greek mythology.Percy [Logan Lerman- 3:10 to Yuma, Hoot] is a normal high school kid who finds out that his dad is actually Poseidon, god of the sea. Zeus’s lightning bolt has gone missing, and everybody thinks Percy is the one who stole it. Percy embarks on an epic adventure to clear his name, return the missing lightning bolt, and find his mother.Percy is joined by Grover Underwood [Brandon T. Jackson- Tropic Thunder, 8 Mile], a sayter whose mission is to return him safely. Along the way the duo meets Luke [Jake Abel- The Lovely Bones, Angel of Death], the son of Hermes, god of travelers, and Annabeth Chase[Alexandra Daddario- The Attic, The Babysitters], the daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom and war.

In an interview with The Highlander, Lerman, Jackson, Abel, and Daddario talked about the importance of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians books and movie to young readers. “These books have brought a curriculum to schools,” Abel said about the series. “They study the Percy Jackson books in school. They’re reading again. And they’re reading about the Greek gods, something classic.”

“This movie ‘tricks’ the kids into learning these myths in different ways,” Lerman said, “Because we retell them in a modern environment. For example, when Percy battles Medusa [Uma Thurman- Motherhood, Kill Bill], he uses his iPhone as a shield.”

“Opening your imagination is always good,” Jackson said. “Kids got to start dreaming again. It’s getting ridiculous. People are not dreaming like they used. Let’s start dreaming again.” Percy Jackson kept an element of fantasy with mythical graphics and several scenes shot in front of a blue screen. While many actors may be discouraged by the lack of interaction with their surroundings, the Percy Jackson cast took the opportunity to be creative with their environment and produce an even better atmosphere.

“It’s a lot of fun using your imagination,” Daddario said. “You get to create what the visual animation is going to do. Because you don’t have to work around the visual animation, it is built around what you have done.”

“[Thurman/ Medusa] really harnessed her talents to create the characters of the snakes,” Lerman said, “Give them all personalities. In the scene, she’s working with the skull cap, and discussing how she can create a relationship between her and the snakes that aren’t there by looking at them, and giving movements that would make her snake like. She would take that and make it all work together.”

Each of the four stars had a very different take on acting, and on preparation for performing.

“Sometimes at the beginning of the day you’re a little bit nervous,” Daddario said. “You have to warm up, and get used to it. I think it’s normal to get nervous, it’s just something you have to work through.”

“I like to prepare, and then I’m not nervous,” Jackson said. “Preparation is the key to relaxation.”

“Personally, I’m not a big fan of preparation,” Lerman said. “I like to have it flow out naturally. You just figure out what works for you. You get to the place where you forget that you’re even there. You just role with what’s happening in the scene, and with what the character’s going through. You kind of just lose yourself in it and you block out everything else that’s going on.”

“My goal is to try to disappear enough into a role that people won’t be able to recognize me outside of it,” Abel said. “For me that’s the ultimate goal.”

The four cast members made sure to stress that no matter how famous they get, they’re still just humans portraying a story.

“We’re storytellers,” Jackson said. “People put actors up to be these examples of how to live. No, all we do is tell stories. We’re not superhuman. We’re just entertaining you guys, and showing you art. I think that’s the problem with our society today, we put celebrities too big in the society.”

“This film itself is bigger than any one person in it,” Abel said. “There’s no face on the poster. That’s not Logan, that’s Percy and a lightning bolt.”

“The actor should never be bigger than the film they’re in,” Lerman said. “It takes you out of it. This isn’t that kind of movie. We made sure that they’re a solid character. This isn’t Twilight, this isn’t about puckering your lips and looking good.”

Percy Jackson is typical teenage boy with typical teenage problems, until he learns that his weaknesses are really his strengths.

“Percy is symbolic of any average American teenager,” Lerman said. “He has problems like anyone else, disabilities like anyone else would have. He looks down upon himself because of his disabilities, then one day he finds out he is the son of Poseidon, he’s not who he thought he was. Everyone can relate to that. The movie teaches you to embrace yourself. Embrace your disabilities, take them and make them your strengths.”

Logan Lerman in Greece

Logan Lerman and co-star Alexandra Daddario are spotted taking in the sights of Athens, Greece before their big world premiere of Percy Jackson on Friday afternoon (January 29). Earlier in the day, the duo plus Brandon T. Jackson and Jake Abel (not pictured) hosted a live chat from the Acropolis. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief, about a boy who discovers that Greek gods are real and he’s a demigod, hits theaters on Friday, February 12.

i couldnt help but notice her weird boobs in the pic, lol xD anyways…

source; peacefulscream.

Advertisement