Casting a Net of Controversy
From demigods and epic fantasies to hysterical jokes and deep friendships, Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” has earned its place as a cultural landmark. Millions of readers found magic alongside the leading trio—Percy Jackson, Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase—through the original series, and later its sequel series “The Heroes of Olympus.” With “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” defining so many childhoods, news that a TV adaptation would be available on Disney+ made big waves among fans. While most have greatly enjoyed the TV series, some have major grievances to air, especially when it comes to casting decisions.
Notably, this is not the first time an attempt at an adaptation of the popular series has been made. In 2010, movies based on the “Percy Jackson” novels were released and met with widespread criticism. However, while the movies’ downfall was their faithlessness to the source material, the TV show has been careful to consider Riordan’s opinion. Despite this, some continue to question the changes he endorsed. Percy, written as having green eyes and black hair, appears in the show with blond hair and blue eyes. Meanwhile, Grover, originally described in the books as a redhead, is played by a South Asian actor with dark brown hair. Annabeth, featured in the book with blond hair and gray eyes, is portrayed by Leah Jeffries, a Black actress with neither of these features (Internet Movie Database). Despite the myriad of changes made by the adaptation, many critics focus solely on the changes made to Annabeth, a discrepancy that raises eyebrows.
“Singling out Annabeth for not being blonde and gray eyed just because she is Black is racist,” junior John Park said. “If [critics] are not also talking about Percy not having black hair and green eyes, [solely focusing on Annabeth] is racist. Jeffries is a fantastic Annabeth, [and] she perfectly embodies who Annabeth is.”
Looking at reviews posted on Google for the Percy Jackson TV show, fans furious about Annabeth’s casting have flooded the forum with one-star reviews, raging against her lack of blonde hair and stormy gray eyes. Some even attach disclaimers, saying that they are “not racist,” but just fans who want to see the book series accurately represented. Despite these statements, no one seems overly concerned about Percy’s lack of black hair and green eyes. One commenter goes so far as to claim casting Annabeth as Black is “reverse racism,” a statement as nonsensical as it is dangerous. Racism centers around systematic oppression and discrimination, with people of color continually and intentionally being disenfranchised (Canadian Center for Diversity and Inclusion). To claim that white people– an incredibly privileged majority group– can experience “reverse racism” demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of how racism functions. While Black people may appear to be well represented based on numbers alone, that representation is often slotted into harmful stereotypes, such as “The Thug,” or “The Angry Black Woman” (Harvard Business Review, National Library of Medicine). These stereotypes prevent Black characters from having fully realized character arcs, reducing them to nothing more than a plot tool.
A somewhat stronger argument against Annabeth’s casting draws on plot points: in the book series, Annabeth claims that she is often expected to fall into the “dumb blonde” trope. Annabeth subverts this by being one of the smartest characters in the series, and a daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, to boot. Despite no longer fitting the stereotype, Annabeth’s battle to be recognized for her wit is only strengthened by having her played by a Black actress. According to a study by Gallup, 25% of Black people reported they were often treated as if they were not smart, as compared to only 5% of white people.
“[Black people] are often seen as if we are not as smart as white people,” junior and president of the Black Student Union Chiamaka Ukeje said. “I experience it at school. Literacy has always been encouraged [for] white people, but for the first 200 years of American history, Black people were not allowed to learn how to read. [White people] praise us when we perform for them, but not when we outdo them.”
Arguably even more appalling than the unrelenting racism displayed is the harassment that they have aimed towards Jeffries. The actress, who is currently 14 years old, was only 12 when the casting decisions were announced; however, she began to receive intense hate for a decision she did not make. Riordan himself responded to this, making a blog post reprimanding fans for harassing Jeffries, saying that the negative comments “needed to stop” (Newsweek). It should go without saying that cyberbullying and harassment is always a disgraceful act, and exponentially worsens when the target of the hate campaign is a child.
“It is ridiculous that [Jeffries is being harassed], because [it is] not her fault that she is talented and she got picked,” junior Alesha Paramasivum said. “If anything, if [someone] has an issue with the casting, [they] should take it up with the producers and the directors.”
Ultimately, Jeffries’ race has very little impact on the role she plays, and how she plays it. In a world that consistently tears down Black people, Jeffries is only the most recent target in a long line of victims. The film industry is notably not exempt from the exhausting litany of microaggressions and racism Black people face every day, as seen with the harassment Halle Bailey received for her casting in “The Little Mermaid.” Nevertheless, the critics cannot take away Jeffries’ role, both as Annabeth and as an inspiration to other Black girls. In the meantime, it is imperative that everyone else focuses on building a better, safer world for Jeffries and every other Black person.
