(Pls pin this if you can) Here are my unpopular two cents. I’m an Asian girl and I would be disappointed if a white character that I’ve loved in the books is portrayed as Asian. There is something about the origin of a character that needs to be honoured. The same way that I would be offended if an Asian character is played by a white person. Both ways can be offensive. “In reality, one’s racial identity is an inalienable entity paramount to how they perceive themselves and are received by others.” All of you, whichever race or ethnic group you belong to, need to agree with that statement. But that’s probably not enough to convince you, so let me explain further. Imagine, would they ever let a white person play the frog princess Tiana in a life action movie? (just because her acting is somehow better than the other black actresses competing for the role, let’s say?) Ha, I can already imagine all the hate comments about “racism” if that is to happen. I’m sure you all can see that happening, just as well as me. So if it would NEVER be acceptable to let a white person play a black role, why should the opposite be “okay”, and people calling that out are somehow racist? Isn’t the double-standard racist in itself? (It’s the same with women (especially in my culture) hating oppression and wanting gender equality, but also wanting men to pay for everything they buy. It’s not equality if you want the special privileges.) (LOL so they let a black person play Aaron Burr in Hamilton right? And he is brilliant in the show, not gonna argue with that. But do y’all THINK you could ever let a white person play Martin Luther King Jr. because the white guy is just a great actor???? OUTRAGE! Outrage outrage! That’s all I can see happening. So that will never happen.) Many of you are calling out: racism racism racism. But all I can see, is PRIVILEGE PRIVILEGE PRIVILEGE!! Allowing a black person to play a white role, but not allowing a white person to play a black role, is a special privilege in itself. And privileges never lead to equality. Ethnic background and race are essential to an individual’s selfhood, and that should be respected. Leah is a great actor and portrays the character otherwise perfectly, but being white is intrinsic to the character of Annabeth, just as being black is intrinsic to the character of the frog princess. Black Annabeth will never be the same as the white Annabeth we know. Maybe someone can create a black Annabeth, but she will turn out to be a very different character than the white Annabeth we know. But for now, being white is something that Leah can never do, and so she can never truly be Annabeth. I hear this all the time when a white actor casts a person of color: there are amazing actors out there who actually belong to that race, why can’t you cast them???!!! So the same applies here, I’m sure there are amazing white actresses out there who can play Annabeth beautifully. Why can’t we cast them??? People are allowed to be upset about the ethic background of a character being changed WITHOUT BEING CALLED RACIST. I would NEVER tolerate a white Mulan, because Mulan is CHINESE. I would NOT like a white frog princess, because Tiana is BLACK. And because I do not want a DOUBLE STANDARD, I can ONLY accept an Annabeth who is WHITE, because that’s who she is and always is. People who still think that is racist, good for you. Finally, a side note on the fine line here: If a group of white people decided to casually cast Mulan on their own, that’s fine. I’m sure people in drama school back in China will not find a white actor for every western play they want to do, and characters will be played by Chinese actors. So that’s not an issue. But if people (especially in white-dominated countries) select a cast for an official movie with Asian people in it, but they just thought a white actor would play Mulan’s character better… That is not okay and I would hate and loathe the s* out of them just as many are hating this new Annabeth.
I'm an Asian girl who was a real Greek mythology nerd in middle school and read the Percy Jackson series ages ago and I'm confident enough in saying if readers of the original series is already comfortable enough in the modern changes to the Greek mythos in the books (which itself includes some heavy Americanization to fit its settings) then any complains about the race swap in the Disney series is honestly just nonsense yapping. That line between submersion and suspension of disbelief has already been crossed once you're already bought into the lore that Greek gods are responsible for most of the technological leaps in the 21st century
@@somewherelongago Percy Jackson really shouldn't be considered Greek Mythology, as it is just more of a story with a semi Greek Setting. The story isn't intended to be a Greek Mythology book, but more just your typical fantasy. I definitely agree that there isn't right with the race swapping of the characters, NO MATTER THE BOOK, especially considering what a large fan base the series has.
I disagree with you guys Rick choose Leah not cuz the color of her skin but because she is a great annabeth and has the personality of her it doesn't matter if she is black Rick chose her. so we shouldn't be spreading hate to him and Leah
I... You do know how reading works right? Sarcasm aside? If you have only read the books you can still get the pronunciation of the author’s name wrong... not knowing how to say the name is more a sign of someone not engaging in the work beyond written words
If he read a single one of these 400 page children's books he'd find himself barking up the wrong tree. Growing up in the middle of Mormon Utah his books were banned every school year because of Magnus being transgender, annabeth suffering from PTSD, and Calypso being suicidal. The whole point of these series is to show that identity doesn't free you from responsibility, and fate is different from decision.
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlazeyes that’s so true a key feature with all children of Athena is that their blonde with gray eyes, so that’s breaking the own mythology riordan set up, if he was going to do a race swap the least he could have done was keep the gray eyes and some aspects of her hair blonde
Some people think looks is all that matters when it comes to casting, even tho that’s not true at all. Take a look at the Rock’s Black Adam, sure the Rock looked like the character but he acted nothing like him at all it was just the same character he always plays as in a Black Adam costume 😂
@@mr.heisenberg1570You forgot one thing. Neither of those characters appearance was ever of any importance,unlike PJO when appearance is not only an important thing in the story as it signifies who the characters are when it comes to their Godly parents but it also help with a thing called Character design. Apparently Riordon chose the actors which is a bad move here due to him having little to no experience with cinema or movies he could helped but should have not been the one to do it.He is also one of the writers which shows in the movie due to how awkward so scenes are,he is an author not a scriptwriter and while Disney might think they are the same thing there are differences and it shows.Honestly he should have just helped with the directing and production if he wanted to be a part of the show.
2 things 1) Rick Riordan is one of the best authors ever for being inclusive with ethnicities. In heroes of Olympus Hazel is African American,Frank is Chinese Canadian,Leo is Hispanic,Piper is Native American,Reyna is Porto Rican, and technically Nico is Italian. Let the man do what he wants with HIS books 2)The Lightning Thief was written in 2005.A lot has changed since then.And Rick said as long as the actor/actress fits the role then it doesn’t matter.
It just jarring because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@ultrainstinctshadow Ah really bold claim there buddy😂 Most of comments are talking about the same thing so instead of writing the same thing over and over wasting time it’s easier to copy my point and paste it then respond to specific things when people reply
@BurnFireBlaze you put its "jarring" as if being blond is her main damn feature its not when Percy talks about Annabeth he usually mentions how sassy and how much of a know it all she is not oh she's a blonde dumbass in the entire series they only make like 5 damn blonde jokes about her that's including the other books outside the main series rick don't see color he sees talent if the guy who made one of the best selling fantasy series says she's Annabeth then she's Annabeth I think he knows his own character better than you
@@viktoriebartosova3798not every show or movie based off of a book is like that. Just because it’s happened doesn’t mean it happens every single race swap
Nah I’m not even white but hate how they are turning every character black now. Cmon at least keep the main 3 true to the original. Just saw the show and even the dude in the wheelchair is black now😭 (late fan read the books after the movie came out, but still love the books and how they are originally)
He did. In the sequal series: Leo was hispanic, Hazel was african American, Frank was Chinese Canadian, Piper was Cherokee, and Nico is so gay his angsty teenager ass drags on for two series till he admits it to himself. Even characters like Percy and Groover are hinted at darker complexions. Then there were secondary characters like Zoe Nightshade and Charles Beckendorff. Then god knows about some characters like Aprodite. I understand your point and being Disney i am worried for the same thing. But i want to see how it goes- good child arctors are not as common as adults and i want them to be the characters from the book- cant keep his mouth shut Percy who loves his ma and blue food, chronically nervous groover who is obsessed with finding pan and tincans, and sassy know-it-all Annabeth whos so nerdy about architecture it sometimes get them into trouble just as much as Percy's mouth. Its a tv show they have the time, im still nervous on the script.
I never once got the sense Nico was gay as they hinted massively Nico was into annabeth Same with will. No signs he was gay either Same with piper mcleab
@@Bilski86 You know that it was Percy Nico lied instead of Annabeth,right? And then he ends up dating Will later on. He’s canonically gay, I can’t remember for sure about Will but he is at least bisexual.
Rick Riordan is literally one of the most inclusive authors in children's writing ever. Magnus Chase has a canon Gender fluid character, Nico was gay, and he never specified races for the characters. I honestly don't see why you'd get pissy over him choosing people he thought fit the role of the characters he envisioned. It's his story, dipwad.
I think the problem kind of is that he did a good job making an inclusive story with an important charter being gay another being gender fluid and in the later series the characters making up the prophecy of 7 4/7 of them weren’t white and the way he discribes Percy makes it sound like he was greek so why change things about these characters in the name of “inclusion” if you already where very inclusive in your writing. It really does look like he’s being dishonest with his audience and trying to grab attention.
@@leviathan7234these things always confuse me. as if there can be TOO MUCH inclusivity. “they already have a black person guys! why add another one? keep the rest of the cast white!” it’s a weird perspective to have.
That’s true, and it definitely applies to many people. In Rick’s case, he actually wrote the books to help kids feel included. He never held any of these alleged opinions in the first place, seeing as he wrote a gay character (Nico) back in 2008 and included an African American girl (Hazel) plus a Cherokee girl (Piper) in 2010. Not just for the hell of it, he touched on topics of internal homophobia and hatred too. It’s why so many people loved it as children, they felt safe. :)
Nah, plenty of books/ movies/ characters/ with a black person being the main character. I’m not even white but hate how every movie now has to have a black main cast😭 keep it original. Annabeth was a blonde with grey eyes, cmon bruh
@@n0va_starrokay then why race change? He has such a rich diverse cast of characters why do it in the first place? It comes off as almost patronizing or worse, there’s already a feel as if this entire series isn’t going to make it to the HoO so they gave up.
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
It doesn't matter about Leah's race. She portrayed Annabeth perfectly and that's all That matters. Rick himself wrote a post about it. Here is is: Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase This post is specifically for those who have a problem with the casting of Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase. It's a shame such posts need to be written, but they do. First, let me be clear I am speaking here only for myself. These thoughts are mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the opinions of any part of Disney, the TV show, the production team, or the Jeffries family. The response to the casting of Leah has been overwhelmingly positive and joyous, as it should be. Leah brings so much energy and enthusiasm to this role, so much of Annabeth's strength. She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind of hero they want to be. If you have a problem with this casting, however, take it up with me. You have no one else to blame. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong. As strong as Leah is, as much as we have 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. They need to stop. Now. I was quite clear a year ago, when we announced our first open casting, that we would be following Disney's company policy on nondiscrimination: We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. 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. We did that. The casting process was long, intense, massive and exhaustive. 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. We did that. We took a year to do this process thoroughly and find the best of the best. This trio is the best. Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase. Some of you have apparently felt offended or exasperated when your objections are called out online as racist. "But I am not racist," you say. "It is not racist to want an actor who is accurate to the book's description of the character!" Let's examine that statement. You are upset/disappointed/frustrated/ angry because a Black actor has been cast to play a character who was described as white in the books. "She doesn't look the way I always imagined." You either are not aware, or have dismissed, Leah's years of hard work honing her craft, her talent, her tenacity, her focus, her screen presence. You refuse to believe her selection could have been based on merit. Without having seen her play the part, you have pre-judged her (pre + judge = prejudice) and decided she must have been hired simply to fill a quota or tick a diversity box. And by the way, these criticisms have come from across the political spectrum, right and left. You have decided that I couldn't possibly mean what I have always said: That the true nature of the character lies in their personality. You feel I must have been coerced, brainwashed, bribed, threatened, whatever, or l as a white male author never would have chosen a Black actor for the part of this canonically white girl. You refuse to believe me, the guy who wrote the books and created these characters, when I say that these actors are perfect for the roles because of the talent they bring and the way they used their auditions to expand, improve and electrify the lines they were given. Once you see Leah as Annabeth, she will become exactly the way you imagine Annabeth, assuming you give her that chance, but you refuse to credit that this may be true. You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white. Friends, that is racism. And before you resort to the old kneejerk reaction - "I am not racist!" - let's examine that statement too. If I may quote from an excellent recent article in the Boston Globe about Dr. Khama Ennis, who created a program on implicit bias for the Massachusetts Board of Registration for Medicine in Boston: "To say a person doesn't have bias is to say that person isn't human. It's how we navigate the world based on what we're taught and our own personal histories."Racism/colorism isn't something we have or don't have. I have it. You have it. We all do. And not just white people like me. All people. It's either something we recognize and try to work on, or it's something we deny. Saying "I am not racist!" is simply declaring that you deny your own biases and refuse to work on them. The core message of Percy Jackson has always been that difference is strength. There is power in plurality. The things that distinguish us from one another are often our marks of individual greatness. You should never judge someone by how well they fit your preconceived notions. That neurodivergent kid who has failed out of six schools, for instance, may well be the son of Poseidon. Anyone can be a hero. 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. You didn't learn anything from them. Watch the show or don't. That's your call. But this will be an adaptation that lam 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. -Rick Riordan
He's literally contradicted previous statements. He's a moron for changing stuff. It makes him look stupid cause he can't keep things the same. He's incompetent
No need to imagine. I think the race swap was stupid and shallow, especially considering how inclusive and diverse he is in his books. Honestly it seems to me that it was more a disney quota for diversity.
@@MrDman60644 he publicly stated years ago that he learned to be more inclusive later in life and wished he could go back and be as inclusive in the beginning as he was in the end
He did: Races/ethnicities Leo: Hispanic Piper: Cherokee Frank: Chinese Canadian Hazel: African American Nico: Italian Sexuality/Gender Alex: Gender-fluid Magnus: Pansexual Nico: Gay Will: Bi Geyron: Gay Lester/Apollo: Bi Paolo: Gay Piper: Lesbian Lavinia: Bi Religion Samriah: Islam Magnus: Atheist Hazel: Mentioned to have gone to church regularly, but we are unsure if she is Christian or not. Iris: Buddhism Disabilities Almost everyone: ADHD and dyslexia A lot of characters: PTSD and anxiety Nico: depression If you know any others, feel free to add them in the comments and I’ll put them in.
Don't really see the problem here. Unlike JK Rowling who retconned certain characters in the very books she wrote, Rick's adding changes FROM his book to the adaptation, not TO his book itself. The books are unchanged, the adaptation is free to be a separate entity that has no bearing on the already established books Sauron wasn't originally a massive flaming eye, but it was memorable imagery for the movies and made no claim that it's from Tolkien's books.
I care more about the characters decisions, characteristics, attitudes, and ideologies if she portrays that well then that's fine. I will call it as it though, if she was black in the book and a white girl was casted, there would be a very different reaction from this same crowd.
@@jmumps7While that's true, that's more to do with the fact that white washing is a very serious thing. Hell, Jesus always gets portrayed as a white dude even though he probably had darker skin. The reason for white washing wasn't because an actor was better for the role, it was because of racism. So when a white actor gets casted as a role originally meant for a POC, people will obviously compare it to white washing. Racism was so common in the past, that it's hard to ignore it in the present, even if one could argue that it's not Racism. So, yeah, the context of the situation matters a lot. And whether people want to acknowledge it or not, double standards exist and some of them exist for a valid reason.
"the adaptation is free to be a separate entity that has no bearing on the already established books" the original Percy jackson movie director be like
No. Did you watch the series? None of the trio suited their character. Percy is too "mommy's boy" in the series, and it makes him kinda weak than he's on the books. Leah as Annabeth doesn't fit, she's supposed to be the most clever between the trio. But in the series, grover takes her characteristics. I think grover is the leader of disney's series. Not percy/ annabeth. So it sucks. I'm sorry, i just very disappointed. I've been waiting for this adaptation to be great franchise like harry potter. But when I watched the series.. :-) It just makes me aaaaaaaaarghhh
@@SyahruliNurQotrunnadathey were just doing their jobs? No way your actually blaming the actors for the directors doings. Its not like leah wrote the script?
@@SyahruliNurQotrunnadaThe first book was written in the early 2000s, and things have changed since then. Plus, it's Rick Riordan’s books and characters he can do whatever he wants with them. Plus, if I am correct the Character's personalities did change over the years the book takes place. And I believe they are going off the latest books?? In my opinion, they fit perfectly together.
honey, go read the books. I accept that in the first series, there is not much racial representation, but you know what IS there? learning disabilities representation. different bgs for the characters. and if you read his other series, which came at a different time and would be accepted more, you'll find racial, sexual, deaf, disabled, and all kinds of representation. are you gonna sit there and tell me that if he put all this in the first series itself, they would have been welcomed the same way? he has a platform now, and he's using it for good. just accept that and move on.
I don’t see how changing the race of a character is good in any situation. If it were the other way around and a white actor was taking on the role of a black character, there’d be understandable uproar. So why is it okay in this situation? There’s just not much consistency to that argument.
If you’re gonna go on a rant first do your research. Learn how to pronounce names right. And a lot has changed since he wrote the books and even then he was great at diversity. Bianca and Nico are Italian, Nico is gay, Frank is Chinese Canadian, Leo is Mexican, Piper is Native American, Reyna is Puerto Rican and so is her sister Hylla, Hazel is African American, Ethan Nakamura had a Japanese last name so I would assume he was Japanese but I don’t know, Magnus Chase has a gender fluid character and a deaf character, Annabeth was made blond to defeat the dumb blond stereotype since she was also the daughter of Athena. Next time keep in mind that if you’re going to complain about a beloved series, know you’ll face the wrath of the fandom as well 😘
Nah you can tell this person didn't read the books,Rick Riordan is literally one of the most inclusive author's who's work i have ever read. All of this person's claims fall flat when yku read the Heroes of Olympus books.
Uncle Rick chose actors based on how well they act as their character. He also has plenty of black characters, it's just that they are not in the first book
@@Mediean Exactly so it means people would still be able to see themselves on those black charatcyer right ? Like zoe that has darker skin and ares whoa black in the comics,
None of this disproves the fact that Riordan is pandering by replacing one of our beloved characters with another race. All it shows is that he no longer cares about the books or characters. If he’s willing to change fundamental aspects of his characters for “inclusivity” then he cares more about the buck now then he does the story
He originally created the books for his son who has adhd and dyslexia. It was a bed time story so his son could see a hero like him. So he primal created the characters so is son could feel included and see himself and he just wrote it down but know he want everyone to see themselves in the heros
Although I can see where you’re coming from, Rick actually had many characters of not only different races, but also sexuality’s, genders, and even learning disability’s, just not in the first series. He’s one of my fav authors Bcs of it ❤
Which is fine, I just won't be watching it for the same reason Rick gave for never watching the movies, I refuse to pollute my view of the characters. I have a vivid image of what the characters look like to me and none of these are my pjo characters.
@@lethal_legend3927Yeah but he did it cause the characters and story were made shallow, while you do it cause the actor is not of the same race as in the books, that is not remotely the same.
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlaze thas was in 2005, back when "dumb blonde" was a very popular stereotype, annabeth, an extremely intelligent girl, being blonde in 2005 was going against this stereotype and that was a defining characteristic of her, but times have changed, we're in 2023, almost 2 decades later, i haven't heard a "dumb blonde" joke in several years now, that trope is simply not culturally relevant anymore, on the other hand what i do see very frequently is black people being underestimated in their intelligence, in the past few years ive seen so many people unironically state that black people are inherently less intelligent than people of other races, so if anything, annabeth being black in this 2023 show is actually more accurate to the character and the story than it would've been if they had casted a blonde girl
I have absolutely nothing against dark-skinned people, but if Characters are white in the books, then why can't they just stay white in the movies. It's not that hard 😭
Why do you give a single flying fuck if a character who is in no way in the entire story behaving a certain way because of their skin colour, has a different skin colour? What the fuck. Think about that. Think about why you care. Be better.
because it was the only way to get them on the shelves?? there's no way in hell disney would have published a five-part series with Black AND Indian main characters in 2005. Plus, he said himself that Leah was the perfect person to cast as Annabeth. As much as represetation matters to him and his fans I don't think he cast a Black actor just for the sake of casting a Black actor
@@thehumanolive9348 yeah, and? They're gods, their appearance doesn't matter-and it's not like Olympus is in in the series; why wouldn't the gods choose to reflect their surroundings?
@@cheese012 I'm sure there were, but I doubt you give me an example that is as widely known and loved as percy jackson was. If you can, great! It still doesn't erase the fact that as soon as riordan started writing openly queer characters and POC as main character there was lashback, even though the kane chornicles came out in 2010, house of hades was published in 2013 and magnus chase + gods of asgard was 2015.
Plenty of people have interpreted the characters as being different races since the book probably came out. You look it up and you will find plenty of art of it. From like years ago
First of all you know this guy never read the books, second of all it doesn't matter what race they are ad long as they do a good job. Any pjo fan would tell you that.
I’m a huge fan but Its kinda jarring because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlazeclearly you don’t know what you’re talking about, Annabeth has GRAY eyes not BLUE. That’s one of the attributes Athena has in mythology, don’t claim to be a fan and complain about these things if you’re going to give incorrect information
@@Slow_Internet can a typo not be a thing? And I am a huge fan I love all the books and very excited about the show and have a right like you to critique media put out to the public. I’m honestly think the actress can do a great job, I’m literally just saying I get why people have apprehensions in the choices made in casting but overall it it’s what it is
@@BurnFireBlaze it’s not just a simple typo, it’s more the fact that if you are going to make a critique and not use accurate information, you just look silly. Especially if the point is about how that is her trademark look, how do you forget about it if it is? You are allowed to critique all you want, but if you are making a point how her blonde hair and her *gray eyes are so heavily consistent in the series. Use accurate information. Also I don’t know why you are targeting her specifically, because if anything, Walker Scobel is almost a genderbent version of annabeth (minus the gray eyes), but I don’t see you complaining about that. Or even with Grover.
@@Slow_Internet because they don’t look as vastly different compared to Anathbeth’s casting Choice again I have no problem with it but I can see why some people do. It’s like making SpongeBob triangle and green when we have known him to be square and yellow, sure he can still be the lovable character we know a love and we can accept the change, but it’s gonna throw people off why they changed him so much Also people have had criticisms on walker as well from what I have read as well Also if it really bothers you this much even when I said it’s a typo and I made a mistake, I’ll edit and update the comment so it’s more accurate for people. I’m not trying to cause any conflict or hate just stating my honest opinion.
Seriously, who gaf? This is straight fiction, it makes no difference. It isn't a historical flic, or a period drama, it isn't even a classical folk lorn that comes from a specific country's heritage
It makes a difference if the author claims for 2 years the show will be great BECAUSE of accurate actors, gets the fans who've been reading his books for 10 years, excited, and then lies in our faces by casting people who look nothing like the characters.
@@firestriker3580exactly plus its greek culture im not a fan of this whole cultural appropriation noncense but these are just ridiculous id be offended if i was greek having my gods/goddesses not being represented accurately
I don’t necessarily want to see my race I just want to see a show that true to the books. And while this guy doesn’t seem to have read any of the books cuz he can’t pronounce the author’s name right, I agree that the races should’ve stayed the same
I understand why people have been disappointed, same as me. We had a certain picture of this character in our mind, that suddenly changed, regardless of the race. That leads to confusion and disappointment, which could have been avoided, since pj is also pretty diverse in the books. But to be honest, i think she does a good job and shouldnt be blamed in any way. Its just a different look for the character, than we imagined reading the books. And i think rr concludes it pretty well, that they chose talent over looks. And at least it isnt some 30 year old people playing some 12 year olds as in the movies.
It's called learning. Sometimes people make decisions while writing a book twenty years ago and realize later that they could and should have done better, so they support varied representation in the current day because they *can* change that.
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
Well, for one, maybe we shouldn't joke about people being stupid because they're blonde just...in general? More than that, it's important for fans of any franchise to realize that, in going from book to adaptation, the image we all have in our heads is never going to be perfectly represented on the screen. The beauty of books is being in the heads of the characters and imagining for ourselves what we see in the words. We all have different interpretations. Personally, I find it far more important that actors encapsulate actual character traits (intelligence, humor, wit, attitude) then immutable traits like being blonde that could belong to any character.@@BurnFireBlaze
He wrote the first book 20 years ago, you really think there isn't anything he wished he'd done differently over the years? Sorry but that's just blatant stupidity there's no nice way of putting that.
Dude you are actually the only person I’ve heard complain about this no one else cares because it doesn’t affect the story at all Edit: now that the shows out she is an amazing actor and how she acts is perfect for Anna Beth so all y’all saying that it was to fill some diversity qouta can go whine all they want they chose her because she was the best fit for her role also why is no one talking about how they made Grover some form of Asian when in official art he was Caucasian
It's woke BS. See the new Snow White movie controversy to see how this harms a series. I personally don't care, I love the Percy Jackson series, but still.
@@emiliotrees2933having anything away from the 50s is ‘woke’. the fact that people think that having poc actors is pushing an agenda or forced shows the exact reason it needs to be there
if u had read whole 2 series on Greek mythology, you would have noticed how much inclusivity the sequel had in comparison to the first series, but you probs didn’t.
Whats that got to do with diversity if you simply cast an actress that looks zero like it's character and then claim the show will be 100% accurate? He shouldn't have lied to his fans and the fans wouldnt have a problem with that actress
his books are already diverse as is, i'm more curious as to why they couldn't just keep everyone the same as they were described in the books. Also, if Annabeth was described as black in the book and a white girl was casted, there would be a much different reaction by this same crowd who says it's not an issue.
@@jmumps7 diversity means more box office meaning more money. It’s show business , they’re in it to make money. It’s not 1940s Hollywood where everything had to be lily White. It’s modern times and that means displaying a world much more colorful than old Hollywood.
I kinda agree. Though i give him credit for inclusivity with magnus chase and the guards of asgard. The gender fluid character litterally changes gender.
How is anyone believing this isnt Disney but its the ‘greatest ethnical inclusive author of our era’ changing his mind after 20 years because its what he should have done…😂 Yeah, my ass. This is disney executive race swapping inclusivity at its finest they have race swapped disney princesses literally delayed snow white because of their misandrist lead actress and “anti-dwarf” ideologies. How hard is it to make original black characters instead of swapping ethnicities of existing ones? Casting refers to choosing the right actor who embodies not only the right personality but the right PHYSICAL traits that resemble the character being casted for…
The fact that you are being rude to LITRAL children. I swèar he casted on PERSONALATY not looks and the actors/actresses portray the charecters its not about looks! #LeahisourAnnabeth
It just jarring because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@BurnFireBlaze na I'm pretty sure u would still be racist even if u were black. Being racist has nothing to do with ur skin colour, but rather if u are focusing on another's skin colour
Rick Riordan has a lot of characters with other races, and he has a lot of characters that aren’t just white. Such as: Hazel, African American. Frank, Chinese Canadian. Leo, Hispanic. Piper, Native American (Cherokee). Reyna, Puerto Rican. Nico, Italian. And, he chose Leah, Walker, Aryan, Dior and all the characters for how well they portray the characters, not because of their race or designs. And, it’s his show & his books. He can do whatever he wants with it.
WHY. DOES IT. MATTER!? It's a book made for teenagers and at the time he probably didn't think of it! This is the same stupid argument about race look more at the God damn character and less at their skin color
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with blue eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
You would say that. But consistency is a thing in stories for a reason. If I can’t instantly recognize who an actor is meant to be portraying then they’re not doing their job. When I saw the trailer I thought Leah might’ve been Clarisse. The main characters should be recognizable.
Brother, what? No that’s exactly how you should view things. It’s not about being able to see your skin color in the character it’s about being accurate to the descriptions of the book.
As a writer myself, when it comes to creating good characters, physical traits are equally as important as personality. You want your character to be recognisable both by how they look and how they act. When you have a character with a clearly defined and recognisable appearance that us consistently referenced with internet the writing itself, a character who’s a central figure in multiple book series’ with a massive fandom, you can’t just change such a beloved character’s race. Not only is this race swap incredibly jarring, it also introduces inconsistencies within the story. Annabeth’s mother is Greek and her father, I believe, is of Scandinavian descent (I could be wrong on this but wasn’t Randolph obsessed with Norse mythology due to ancestry?). I have nothing against the actress but regardless of her acting ability (which remains to be seen), an actor simply can’t portray any given character perfectly if they don’t look the part. Back in the original dumpster fire adaptation, people were up in arms about the fact that her hair and eye colour were wrong (though I’ll admit, those were far from the biggest issues) but now it’s acceptable to change race too? I don’t care what a character’s race is but it has to stay consistent, more so than any other physical trait. Anyways, I’ve had my rant. Thank you for coming to my ted talk.
I agree so so so much!!! She has an iconic image and altering it SO drastically is a shock! All we want is the characters we read about and daydreamed about in our books to come to life!
I read this series like 80 times. Of all the characters they picked the one with the strongest mental image as a blonde to race swap. Its just bad casting
@@randomartsyperson97 no, not wanting characters to be race swapped for diversity quotas isnt racist actually. If a black character was swapped for a white one people would flip and would they be racist for it? I just dont like that this is a growing trend, people will act like race is an important/meaningful aspect of a character (which it usually is) and then be cool with them swapping around just to make a company look more inclusive
@@randomartsyperson97People form strong attachments to characters, which means both their appearance and personality. The desire for character consistency does not make someone racist, I would be just as annoyed if Black Panther was suddenly cast as a white dude as I am now with the abysmal casting of this show.
@@ZiroWattthe racism comes in when you talk about “diversity quotas” because you’re saying her talent couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with why the author, who knows the character better than anyone, picked her
@@3lizabethrose ?? Im not saying she isnt a good actress. I wouldnt cast a white woman to play a black character no matter how good of an actress that white woman was. I also wouldnt cast a black woman to play a white character no matter how good she was. So Id say, this is bad casting
Rick Riordan has truly sold out as an author and I want nothing to do with any of his books ever again. Not after he commissioned official art and updated art of what the characters are supposed to look like. So there's no excuse for why he's doing this he's just selling out and shilling for Disney
Here's the thing about choice of Annie(at least from my perspective): I have come around the stereotype where people would just say that black people are dumb, just like they did to blondes, that is just the other way of breaking this stereotype. I would be also bad not to even mention the efforts of the young actress. Also the follow-up series speaks for itself, not to mention magnus chase and kane chronicles Of course
I mean, they could just be misogynistic people. Octavian hates on Reyna’s rulership of the legion and thinks Annabeth is an idiot. He could just be a misogynist.
It’s called learning, dude, something you should consider too. Their race doesn’t matter. At all. Annabeth being blonde was only important in like one line in a much later book
This is comment is not trying to be rude to you or the actors I love them all very much and I can’t wait to see the new adaptation of it I think I will enjoy it regardless of who’s playing any of the characters. However I disagree with the fact that staying true to the original is a bad thing and I actually think I would prefer it to stay somewhat true to the original story. Annabeth being blonde is actually very important throughout the story because it’s supposed to be breaking the dumb blonde stereotype that her and I believe everyone in the Athena cabin is blonde. ( I can’t recall if all Athena kids are blonde my apologies if I’m wrong.) I don’t care if Annabeth is black as much as I care about her being blonde but aside from that almost everyone got a race swap (other than Percy) As far as main characters go they both Annabeth and Grover had a change in race ( Like I already said I love all these actors and I think they are amazing and I also never really thought grover had darker skin I don’t really know why.) but not only them but Zeus and Chiron (Again I’m alright with changing things about a story in no way am I trying to imply that some changes are ok.) So far from they trailer the only Percy has stayed a Tibet bit close to his original description ( I wish that they could do something about the hair and eyes on him because his sea green eyes are probably the feature that stands out the most in descriptions.) At the end of the day I would say that if Rick wants to have more representation of different cultures or races that’s ok but I don’t think he should change the main characters maybe add more Black, Hispanic, Asian, and mixed people ( I don’t mean to replace white people just to make sure we show how mixed América is especially close to big city’s like new york.)into the backgrounds to show the mixing pot that América is . Just to mention this is my opinion from a bi-cultural person I’m Hispanic and white. Once again no hate to you or the actors I love them all very much and I’m very grateful you took the time out of your day to read this I know it’s very long and I’m so sorry for that I just think it’s a complex topic and hard to sum up. Have a wonderful day and if you chose to reply please chose be respectful love you ❤
@@AnnoyingANNIEwhen was the last time you heard a "dumb blonde" joke tho?? the "dumb blonde stereotype was extremely popular in the early-mid 2000s, which is when the first books were written, so annabeth being blonde and smart and so defying this stereotype was an awesome play and became a defining characteristic of her, however, times have changed, almost two decades have passed and the "dumb blonde" trope has now become culturally irrelevant, if anything it's now way more common for people to underestimate the intelligence of black girls and than it is for people to underestimate the intelligence of blonde girls, ive lost count of how many times ive unfortunately seen right-wing dipshits on the internet arguing that black people are inherently less intelligent than white people, so if anything annabeth being black in this 2023 series is more accurate to her character and the story than her being blonde
@@meowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww While I respect your opinions I am going to disagree. I am not certain but I believe the show will or at least should be set in the mid 2000s to be as accurate to the book’s time period with any technology or similar things as possible. Unfortunately you are right that some people believe their race is smarter than others not only white people of course many races do it. However I don’t think Annabeth being black is because of a stereotype I think that it’s just for diversity and diversity is great everyone in the world is different it’s not right to act like people who don’t look like you don’t exist but my problem with it is changing already existing characters to a point where it’s practically impossible to recognize them as the original. Grover is fine he’s obviously Grover with his goat hooves Percy doesn’t really look like Percy’s his hair is wrong and so are his eyes and that’s to be expected with a live action and although both Annabeth and Grover had race swaps it’s impossible to look at live action Annabeth and say she looks anything like the original. I don’t think its a huge deal it’s not going to make or break whether I like they show or not but the movie isn’t even out and I’ve noticed what 4 race swaps? I personally don’t think that changing the characters is awful but I don’t think it’s right either what if they made Charlie white or Leo black and Frank Hispanic with a asian Hazel it’s not ok so tell be how it’s much different. Anyway absolutely no hate to you or to the actress I look forward to seeing her version of Annabeth and I can’t wait for the show to release! I say all this with much love I just wish for you to see both sides of the story have a great day.💕💕💕
How dare he look back at his past work with a fresh perspective? Everyone knows once you’ve made a piece of art, you cannot ever change your opinion about it or create any kind of updated version of it. Can you even imagine that anyone, let alone an artist, could grow as a person over time?
Or... or... NOW HEAR ME OUT... what race they are isn't important to their stories and he knows this cause yk he wrote them. The actors were chosen mainky cause he though those actors would portray them best. I also love that your clearly not a fan like genuinely almost all the genuine fans that grew up with those books and those who are loving them now have no issue with it
I’m a huge fan but Its a bit jarring because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlaze the main feature of Annabeth is sassy nerd this actress can pull this off dont matter how she look the jokes can be changed or got rid of changing her appearance wont really effect the story in a any major way you wouldnt say shit if they casted a white girl with brown eyes or blue eyes but beacuse they made her black its "jaring"
Alright, so with that logic black panther could be played by a white guy and it would make perfect sense and his race wouldn’t matter? Obviously not since that would be plain weird and not fit with his character. Annabeth is explicitly stated to be blond with grey eyes, the same color eyes as Athena. So actually, it is important.
Uh no one said she couldn't have grey eyes or blonde in her hair. In this case the blonde would be fake(which is fine) and she could have grey eyes and it could be written off as she has the "unnatural" color because it's a unique trait of her being a half-blood. That was probably suggested but just like how percy is now blonde they probably didn't wanna subject literal childer to uncomfortable fake contacts or wigs or years of hair damage from the hair dye
@@xXSCDTXx Ok number 1, she is fit for the role perfectly. Number 2, yes, it is bullying if you’re being s**t to a child just because of her skin color. Number 3, looks don’t matter as long as they portray the character correctly, so go f**k off and get over your narrow-minded beliefs about how not everyone is the same Number 4, Annabeth is what we call a FICTIONAL character. Fictional means nonexistent k? So there’s not going to be someone who will be EXACTLY the same as her from every last little hair strand Quit complaining about what people look like and get a f*****g life. Stop trying to lecture people about what bullying “oBVioUsLY” is if your don’t know yourself.
@@xXSCDTXx there was alot of backlash because of her casting. It got really bad that Rick had to write an article on his website to stop the harassment
I’ve actually never been in a movie and I don’t think this man has either. Maybe stop seeing yourself as every latino person and you’ll finally be able to get out of your racist bubble.
"Seeing yourself"... thats simply ridiculous only a person obsessed with race would want tô see itself?? In a character why a Black person cant identify with a white character or vice versa ? I'm South American and its The most dificult thing to see a Brazilian like me in an American movie or tv show, do i complain ? No because im not watching a movie tô see myself or my "race" represented there but to be entertained by The story be invested in characters Their struggles , triumphs , failures etc and being abre to relate them by their personality and values rather than looks .
Bro I don’t want to hear it Rick Riodian Is an amazing person ,and a even better author so before you attack a person try to get to know them and see their side
He chose the characters in the show based on their acting ability and how they represented the characters like they chose people who normally act like the characters usually
He didn‘t hire these actors because of their race, he hired them because they were the best people to bring the personality of these roles to live. If you claim you‘re not racist, then you shouldn‘t care, because we fell in love with the personalities of the characters, not their skin color.
Some people think looks is all that matters when it comes to casting, even tho that’s not true at all. Take a look at the Rock’s Black Adam, sure the Rock looked like the character but he acted nothing like him at all it was just the same character he always plays as in a Black Adam costume 😂
Have you ever read this guy’s books? Like seriously. I was pretty bummed at first because they would be dyeing walker’s and Leah’s hair, but if you’ve read the books, you’d know that personality wise, the casting is great.
It doesn’t matter so long as they play the parts. I mean sure, with some characters, it’s part of their actual backstory. Per example, piper getting bullied for her race. And yeah, annabeth talks about breaking the dumb blonde stereotypes and I would’ve loved for them to include that, but this annabeth is breaking stereotypes too and the show turned out great. Who cares what race they are? It’s about seeing the demigod world come to life. On top of that, there’s the bonus of different groups having an easier time seeing themselves as other characters. I like that they changed it up a bit, it’s better we get to see Percy Jackson come to life while also getting a bit of a spin on it than just seeing they’re best attempt on the exact book. I mean, with the movies they were way too far off. But it’s impossible to get the show exactly right when everyone imagines the books differently, like not everyone imagines characters exactly as they’re described, I know I don’t pronounce the names in my head like I’m supposed to every time.
have you read any other book written by him? his sequel series, heroes of olympus, has many characters of different race, and nico di angelo comes out as gay. he also has magnus chase, which also includes characters of different race, and a genderfluid character, who has a romance was the main character. ☠️
Leos hispanic/mexican Hazels african-american Alex Fierro is genderfluid Magnus chase is bi Percy is Mediterranean Pipers cherokee Nicos gay Wills bi Apollos bi Charlie is african american The list goes on.
@@venusreyy mb, i just knew magnus was prob at least bi because he likes at least boys and girls, and i think one book specifies percy as Mediterranean, but idk and i forgot abt nico and bianca
Honestly it more so matters on their acting skills, Leah Walker and aryan did AWESOME acting and it actual made me feel like they are the characters not just the actors, they are kids love them be
(Pls pin this if you can)
Here are my unpopular two cents.
I’m an Asian girl and I would be disappointed if a white character that I’ve loved in the books is portrayed as Asian. There is something about the origin of a character that needs to be honoured. The same way that I would be offended if an Asian character is played by a white person. Both ways can be offensive.
“In reality, one’s racial identity is an inalienable entity paramount to how they perceive themselves and are received by others.”
All of you, whichever race or ethnic group you belong to, need to agree with that statement.
But that’s probably not enough to convince you, so let me explain further.
Imagine, would they ever let a white person play the frog princess Tiana in a life action movie? (just because her acting is somehow better than the other black actresses competing for the role, let’s say?) Ha, I can already imagine all the hate comments about “racism” if that is to happen. I’m sure you all can see that happening, just as well as me.
So if it would NEVER be acceptable to let a white person play a black role, why should the opposite be “okay”, and people calling that out are somehow racist? Isn’t the double-standard racist in itself?
(It’s the same with women (especially in my culture) hating oppression and wanting gender equality, but also wanting men to pay for everything they buy. It’s not equality if you want the special privileges.)
(LOL so they let a black person play Aaron Burr in Hamilton right? And he is brilliant in the show, not gonna argue with that. But do y’all THINK you could ever let a white person play Martin Luther King Jr. because the white guy is just a great actor???? OUTRAGE! Outrage outrage! That’s all I can see happening. So that will never happen.)
Many of you are calling out: racism racism racism. But all I can see, is PRIVILEGE PRIVILEGE PRIVILEGE!!
Allowing a black person to play a white role, but not allowing a white person to play a black role, is a special privilege in itself.
And privileges never lead to equality.
Ethnic background and race are essential to an individual’s selfhood, and that should be respected.
Leah is a great actor and portrays the character otherwise perfectly, but being white is intrinsic to the character of Annabeth, just as being black is intrinsic to the character of the frog princess. Black Annabeth will never be the same as the white Annabeth we know. Maybe someone can create a black Annabeth, but she will turn out to be a very different character than the white Annabeth we know. But for now, being white is something that Leah can never do, and so she can never truly be Annabeth.
I hear this all the time when a white actor casts a person of color: there are amazing actors out there who actually belong to that race, why can’t you cast them???!!! So the same applies here, I’m sure there are amazing white actresses out there who can play Annabeth beautifully. Why can’t we cast them???
People are allowed to be upset about the ethic background of a character being changed WITHOUT BEING CALLED RACIST.
I would NEVER tolerate a white Mulan, because Mulan is CHINESE. I would NOT like a white frog princess, because Tiana is BLACK. And because I do not want a DOUBLE STANDARD, I can ONLY accept an Annabeth who is WHITE, because that’s who she is and always is.
People who still think that is racist, good for you.
Finally, a side note on the fine line here:
If a group of white people decided to casually cast Mulan on their own, that’s fine. I’m sure people in drama school back in China will not find a white actor for every western play they want to do, and characters will be played by Chinese actors. So that’s not an issue.
But if people (especially in white-dominated countries) select a cast for an official movie with Asian people in it, but they just thought a white actor would play Mulan’s character better… That is not okay and I would hate and loathe the s* out of them just as many are hating this new Annabeth.
I'm an Asian girl who was a real Greek mythology nerd in middle school and read the Percy Jackson series ages ago and I'm confident enough in saying if readers of the original series is already comfortable enough in the modern changes to the Greek mythos in the books (which itself includes some heavy Americanization to fit its settings) then any complains about the race swap in the Disney series is honestly just nonsense yapping. That line between submersion and suspension of disbelief has already been crossed once you're already bought into the lore that Greek gods are responsible for most of the technological leaps in the 21st century
@@somewherelongago Percy Jackson really shouldn't be considered Greek Mythology, as it is just more of a story with a semi Greek Setting. The story isn't intended to be a Greek Mythology book, but more just your typical fantasy. I definitely agree that there isn't right with the race swapping of the characters, NO MATTER THE BOOK, especially considering what a large fan base the series has.
Also IDK why this comment hasn't blown up but it should cause you are speaking facts here
I disagree with you guys Rick choose Leah not cuz the color of her skin but because she is a great annabeth and has the personality of her it doesn't matter if she is black Rick chose her. so we shouldn't be spreading hate to him and Leah
@@user-mw4sk8co4b The thing though is, Disney said this set of actors would be very realistic, and look where that got us.
If you’re gonna pretend to have read all the books, at least pronounce the author’s name correctly
That bugged me so much
Ik
I dunno how to say his name but Ive read the shit 3 times dawg.. Meanieheads..
I...
You do know how reading works right?
Sarcasm aside? If you have only read the books you can still get the pronunciation of the author’s name wrong... not knowing how to say the name is more a sign of someone not engaging in the work beyond written words
@@algorithmicabyss4150 yes, it’s almost as if that was what I was trying to say 🤔
If he read a single one of these 400 page children's books he'd find himself barking up the wrong tree. Growing up in the middle of Mormon Utah his books were banned every school year because of Magnus being transgender, annabeth suffering from PTSD, and Calypso being suicidal. The whole point of these series is to show that identity doesn't free you from responsibility, and fate is different from decision.
Magnus wasn’t transgender, it was the person he had a crush on
alex
When was calypso suicidal?
@@Darealkenobi my bad
I grew up Mormon but n Utah and none of these books were banned at any of my schools. I even found the last Olympian in a church one time
He casted who he thought portrayed the characters the best
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlazeyes that’s so true a key feature with all children of Athena is that their blonde with gray eyes, so that’s breaking the own mythology riordan set up, if he was going to do a race swap the least he could have done was keep the gray eyes and some aspects of her hair blonde
Some people think looks is all that matters when it comes to casting, even tho that’s not true at all. Take a look at the Rock’s Black Adam, sure the Rock looked like the character but he acted nothing like him at all it was just the same character he always plays as in a Black Adam costume 😂
@@mr.heisenberg1570You forgot one thing.
Neither of those characters appearance was ever of any importance,unlike PJO when appearance is not only an important thing in the story as it signifies who the characters are when it comes to their Godly parents but it also help with a thing called Character design.
Apparently Riordon chose the actors which is a bad move here due to him having little to no experience with cinema or movies he could helped but should have not been the one to do it.He is also one of the writers which shows in the movie due to how awkward so scenes are,he is an author not a scriptwriter and while Disney might think they are the same thing there are differences and it shows.Honestly he should have just helped with the directing and production if he wanted to be a part of the show.
@mr.heisenberg1570 Sorry, but no, when casting for a book to TV translation, word for word, looking and acting the part IS all that matters.
2 things
1) Rick Riordan is one of the best authors ever for being inclusive with ethnicities. In heroes of Olympus Hazel is African American,Frank is Chinese Canadian,Leo is Hispanic,Piper is Native American,Reyna is Porto Rican, and technically Nico is Italian. Let the man do what he wants with HIS books
2)The Lightning Thief was written in 2005.A lot has changed since then.And Rick said as long as the actor/actress fits the role then it doesn’t matter.
It just jarring because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlaze legit your just puting the same comment everywhere either your a bot or a racist fuck
@@ultrainstinctshadow Ah really bold claim there buddy😂 Most of comments are talking about the same thing so instead of writing the same thing over and over wasting time it’s easier to copy my point and paste it then respond to specific things when people reply
@@ultrainstinctshadow I’ll ask you here to if I was black would I still be racist to you?
@BurnFireBlaze you put its "jarring" as if being blond is her main damn feature its not when Percy talks about Annabeth he usually mentions how sassy and how much of a know it all she is not oh she's a blonde dumbass in the entire series they only make like 5 damn blonde jokes about her that's including the other books outside the main series rick don't see color he sees talent if the guy who made one of the best selling fantasy series says she's Annabeth then she's Annabeth I think he knows his own character better than you
Dude who cares it’s just a skin color and they chose that actor cause he liked them better than anyone else
@@viktoriebartosova3798Tell me one time where a white actor(s) was held back or turned away for a role or career being white.
Oh yeah I cannot wait for a black chinese to play Donald Trump.
It would be amazing to feel represented for once
Frrrrrr
@@viktoriebartosova3798not every show or movie based off of a book is like that. Just because it’s happened doesn’t mean it happens every single race swap
Nah I’m not even white but hate how they are turning every character black now. Cmon at least keep the main 3 true to the original. Just saw the show and even the dude in the wheelchair is black now😭 (late fan read the books after the movie came out, but still love the books and how they are originally)
He did. In the sequal series: Leo was hispanic, Hazel was african American, Frank was Chinese Canadian, Piper was Cherokee, and Nico is so gay his angsty teenager ass drags on for two series till he admits it to himself. Even characters like Percy and Groover are hinted at darker complexions. Then there were secondary characters like Zoe Nightshade and Charles Beckendorff. Then god knows about some characters like Aprodite.
I understand your point and being Disney i am worried for the same thing. But i want to see how it goes- good child arctors are not as common as adults and i want them to be the characters from the book- cant keep his mouth shut Percy who loves his ma and blue food, chronically nervous groover who is obsessed with finding pan and tincans, and sassy know-it-all Annabeth whos so nerdy about architecture it sometimes get them into trouble just as much as Percy's mouth. Its a tv show they have the time, im still nervous on the script.
Exactly, he's just using the updated designs from the second series rather than the first
THANK YOU! Who your favorite character in the books 😀
@@TheMac_TM hundred percent Leo with Reyna in second
I never once got the sense Nico was gay as they hinted massively Nico was into annabeth
Same with will. No signs he was gay either
Same with piper mcleab
@@Bilski86 You know that it was Percy Nico lied instead of Annabeth,right? And then he ends up dating Will later on. He’s canonically gay, I can’t remember for sure about Will but he is at least bisexual.
Rick Riordan is literally one of the most inclusive authors in children's writing ever. Magnus Chase has a canon Gender fluid character, Nico was gay, and he never specified races for the characters. I honestly don't see why you'd get pissy over him choosing people he thought fit the role of the characters he envisioned. It's his story, dipwad.
I think the problem kind of is that he did a good job making an inclusive story with an important charter being gay another being gender fluid and in the later series the characters making up the prophecy of 7 4/7 of them weren’t white and the way he discribes Percy makes it sound like he was greek so why change things about these characters in the name of “inclusion” if you already where very inclusive in your writing. It really does look like he’s being dishonest with his audience and trying to grab attention.
@@leviathan7234these things always confuse me. as if there can be TOO MUCH inclusivity. “they already have a black person guys! why add another one? keep the rest of the cast white!” it’s a weird perspective to have.
Or maybe he can find people that actually look like the characters he already described DipWaD
@@zboom. yeah because finding one of those who can act isn’t hard at all
@@annabethchase1966 there’s millions of children in the world
This guy needs to keep in mind that the book was written almost 20 years ago. A lot has changed in the world.
And Rick has most likely grown and changed as a person within that time and no longer shares the same opinions he did nearly 2 decades ago.
@@DeadpoolX20Exactly 😂💯
That’s true, and it definitely applies to many people. In Rick’s case, he actually wrote the books to help kids feel included. He never held any of these alleged opinions in the first place, seeing as he wrote a gay character (Nico) back in 2008 and included an African American girl (Hazel) plus a Cherokee girl (Piper) in 2010.
Not just for the hell of it, he touched on topics of internal homophobia and hatred too.
It’s why so many people loved it as children, they felt safe. :)
Nah, plenty of books/ movies/ characters/ with a black person being the main character. I’m not even white but hate how every movie now has to have a black main cast😭 keep it original. Annabeth was a blonde with grey eyes, cmon bruh
@@n0va_starrokay then why race change? He has such a rich diverse cast of characters why do it in the first place? It comes off as almost patronizing or worse, there’s already a feel as if this entire series isn’t going to make it to the HoO so they gave up.
Dude he casted on how well he tought each actor would do in each roll
Exactly
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlaze it was grey eyes
Exactly. Does Annabeth’s race have anything to do with fighting Kronos? 😭😭😭
@@BurnFireBlazeblonde doesn’t matter tho, they could easily change that, her eyes were the important part
It doesn't matter about Leah's race. She portrayed Annabeth perfectly and that's all That matters. Rick himself wrote a post about it.
Here is is:
Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase
This post is specifically for those who have a problem with the casting of Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase. It's a shame such posts need to be written, but they do. First, let me be clear I am speaking here only for myself. These thoughts are mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the opinions of any part of Disney, the TV show, the production team, or the Jeffries family.
The response to the casting of Leah has been overwhelmingly positive and joyous, as it should be. Leah brings so much energy and enthusiasm to this role, so much of Annabeth's strength. She will be a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind of hero they want to be.
If you have a problem with this casting, however, take it up with me. You have no one else to blame. Whatever else you take from this post, we should be able to agree that bullying and harassing a child online is inexcusably wrong. As strong as Leah is, as much as we have 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. They need to stop. Now.
I was quite clear a year ago, when we announced our first open casting, that we would be following Disney's company policy on nondiscrimination: We are committed to diverse, inclusive casting. 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. We did that. The casting process was long, intense, massive and exhaustive.
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. We did that. We took a year to do this process thoroughly and find the best of the best. This trio is the best.
Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase.
Some of you have apparently felt offended or exasperated when your objections are called out online as racist. "But I am not racist," you say. "It is not racist to want an actor who is accurate to the book's description of the character!"
Let's examine that statement.
You are upset/disappointed/frustrated/ angry because a Black actor has been cast to play a character who was described as white in the books. "She doesn't look the way I always imagined."
You either are not aware, or have dismissed, Leah's years of hard work honing her craft, her talent, her tenacity, her focus, her screen presence. You refuse to believe her selection could have been based on merit. Without having seen her play the part, you have pre-judged her (pre + judge = prejudice) and decided she must have been hired simply to fill a quota or tick a diversity box. And by the way, these criticisms have come from across the political spectrum, right and left.
You have decided that I couldn't possibly mean what I have always said: That the true nature of the character lies in their personality. You feel I must have been coerced, brainwashed, bribed, threatened, whatever, or l as a white male author never would have chosen a Black actor for the part of this canonically white girl.
You refuse to believe me, the guy who wrote the books and created these characters, when I say that these actors are perfect for the roles because of the talent they bring and the way they used their auditions to expand, improve and electrify the lines they were given. Once you see Leah as Annabeth, she will become exactly the way you imagine Annabeth, assuming you give her that chance, but you refuse to credit that this may be true.
You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white.
Friends, that is racism.
And before you resort to the old kneejerk reaction -
"I am not racist!" - let's
examine that statement too.
If I may quote from an excellent recent article in the Boston Globe about Dr.
Khama Ennis, who created a program on implicit bias for the Massachusetts Board of Registration for Medicine in Boston: "To say a person doesn't have bias is to say that person isn't human. It's how we navigate the world based on what we're taught and our own personal histories."Racism/colorism isn't something we have or don't have. I have it. You have it. We all do. And not just white people like me. All people. It's either something we recognize and try to work on, or it's something we deny.
Saying "I am not racist!" is simply declaring that you deny your own biases and refuse to work on them.
The core message of Percy Jackson has always been that difference is strength. There is power in plurality. The things that distinguish us from one another are often our marks of individual greatness. You should never judge someone by how well they fit your preconceived notions. That neurodivergent kid who has failed out of six schools, for instance, may well be the son of Poseidon. Anyone can be a hero.
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. You didn't learn anything from them.
Watch the show or don't. That's your call. But this will be an adaptation that lam 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.
-Rick Riordan
Imagine telling someone the wrong on the book They wrote
He's literally contradicted previous statements. He's a moron for changing stuff. It makes him look stupid cause he can't keep things the same. He's incompetent
No need to imagine. I think the race swap was stupid and shallow, especially considering how inclusive and diverse he is in his books. Honestly it seems to me that it was more a disney quota for diversity.
@@MrDman60644 he publicly stated years ago that he learned to be more inclusive later in life and wished he could go back and be as inclusive in the beginning as he was in the end
@@MrDman60644y’all are crying because he casted a dark girl😭😭☠️
He already described constant characters throughout his book series. Why change them for the tv shows?
everyone could find a character that matches them if they just read all of his books
He did:
Races/ethnicities
Leo: Hispanic
Piper: Cherokee
Frank: Chinese Canadian
Hazel: African American
Nico: Italian
Sexuality/Gender
Alex: Gender-fluid
Magnus: Pansexual
Nico: Gay
Will: Bi
Geyron: Gay
Lester/Apollo: Bi
Paolo: Gay
Piper: Lesbian
Lavinia: Bi
Religion
Samriah: Islam
Magnus: Atheist
Hazel: Mentioned to have gone to church regularly, but we are unsure if she is Christian or not.
Iris: Buddhism
Disabilities
Almost everyone: ADHD and dyslexia
A lot of characters: PTSD and anxiety
Nico: depression
If you know any others, feel free to add them in the comments and I’ll put them in.
Don't really see the problem here. Unlike JK Rowling who retconned certain characters in the very books she wrote, Rick's adding changes FROM his book to the adaptation, not TO his book itself. The books are unchanged, the adaptation is free to be a separate entity that has no bearing on the already established books
Sauron wasn't originally a massive flaming eye, but it was memorable imagery for the movies and made no claim that it's from Tolkien's books.
Stop comparing him to JK, he’ll never get on her level
I care more about the characters decisions, characteristics, attitudes, and ideologies if she portrays that well then that's fine. I will call it as it though, if she was black in the book and a white girl was casted, there would be a very different reaction from this same crowd.
@@jmumps7 I agree with you there. Sadly double standards will probably exist as long as society does
@@jmumps7While that's true, that's more to do with the fact that white washing is a very serious thing. Hell, Jesus always gets portrayed as a white dude even though he probably had darker skin. The reason for white washing wasn't because an actor was better for the role, it was because of racism. So when a white actor gets casted as a role originally meant for a POC, people will obviously compare it to white washing. Racism was so common in the past, that it's hard to ignore it in the present, even if one could argue that it's not Racism.
So, yeah, the context of the situation matters a lot. And whether people want to acknowledge it or not, double standards exist and some of them exist for a valid reason.
"the adaptation is free to be a separate entity that has no bearing on the already established books" the original Percy jackson movie director be like
They portray the characters well. That’s all that matters
No. Did you watch the series? None of the trio suited their character. Percy is too "mommy's boy" in the series, and it makes him kinda weak than he's on the books. Leah as Annabeth doesn't fit, she's supposed to be the most clever between the trio. But in the series, grover takes her characteristics. I think grover is the leader of disney's series. Not percy/ annabeth. So it sucks. I'm sorry, i just very disappointed. I've been waiting for this adaptation to be great franchise like harry potter. But when I watched the series.. :-) It just makes me aaaaaaaaarghhh
@@SyahruliNurQotrunnadathey were just doing their jobs? No way your actually blaming the actors for the directors doings. Its not like leah wrote the script?
@@SyahruliNurQotrunnadaThe first book was written in the early 2000s, and things have changed since then. Plus, it's Rick Riordan’s books and characters he can do whatever he wants with them. Plus, if I am correct the Character's personalities did change over the years the book takes place. And I believe they are going off the latest books?? In my opinion, they fit perfectly together.
They don't though, which makes them only like the book characters in name
leah’s annabeth is my fav so far, she owned it
honey, go read the books. I accept that in the first series, there is not much racial representation, but you know what IS there? learning disabilities representation. different bgs for the characters. and if you read his other series, which came at a different time and would be accepted more, you'll find racial, sexual, deaf, disabled, and all kinds of representation. are you gonna sit there and tell me that if he put all this in the first series itself, they would have been welcomed the same way? he has a platform now, and he's using it for good. just accept that and move on.
I don’t see how changing the race of a character is good in any situation. If it were the other way around and a white actor was taking on the role of a black character, there’d be understandable uproar. So why is it okay in this situation? There’s just not much consistency to that argument.
@@ghoulishfooltheir showing be uproar if a white character was originally black, unless it was important to the character, vice versa💀
@@ghoulishfoolthe fact that people are whining about it when it effectively changes nothing is insane💀
Go away honey
@@JameGoFast27 why are you getting mad over someone stating actual facts💀
He didn’t cast them because of a “hot thing” he casted them cuz, he thought they could portray the characters well
Yea, right.
Yea he's right. So nice to see people not being racist sometimes.
Yes, thank you
Bruh
@@zenutan6512JEZZ NO ONE IS BEING RACIST OMG
If you’re gonna go on a rant first do your research. Learn how to pronounce names right. And a lot has changed since he wrote the books and even then he was great at diversity. Bianca and Nico are Italian, Nico is gay, Frank is Chinese Canadian, Leo is Mexican, Piper is Native American, Reyna is Puerto Rican and so is her sister Hylla, Hazel is African American, Ethan Nakamura had a Japanese last name so I would assume he was Japanese but I don’t know, Magnus Chase has a gender fluid character and a deaf character, Annabeth was made blond to defeat the dumb blond stereotype since she was also the daughter of Athena. Next time keep in mind that if you’re going to complain about a beloved series, know you’ll face the wrath of the fandom as well 😘
Nah you can tell this person didn't read the books,Rick Riordan is literally one of the most inclusive author's who's work i have ever read. All of this person's claims fall flat when yku read the Heroes of Olympus books.
Then there would be no reason to race swap the characters?
Uncle Rick chose actors based on how well they act as their character. He also has plenty of black characters, it's just that they are not in the first book
@@Mediean Exactly so it means people would still be able to see themselves on those black charatcyer right ? Like zoe that has darker skin and ares whoa black in the comics,
@@stianaandal1488exactly
None of this disproves the fact that Riordan is pandering by replacing one of our beloved characters with another race. All it shows is that he no longer cares about the books or characters. If he’s willing to change fundamental aspects of his characters for “inclusivity” then he cares more about the buck now then he does the story
He originally created the books for his son who has adhd and dyslexia. It was a bed time story so his son could see a hero like him. So he primal created the characters so is son could feel included and see himself and he just wrote it down but know he want everyone to see themselves in the heros
Although I can see where you’re coming from, Rick actually had many characters of not only different races, but also sexuality’s, genders, and even learning disability’s, just not in the first series. He’s one of my fav authors Bcs of it ❤
Rick Riordan is all about inclusivity. The whole point of demigods being dyslexic and having ADHD was for his son to relate
She was the perfect actor. He said he would take anyone who fit the role. Simple as that
Which is fine, I just won't be watching it for the same reason Rick gave for never watching the movies, I refuse to pollute my view of the characters. I have a vivid image of what the characters look like to me and none of these are my pjo characters.
@@lethal_legend3927Yeah but he did it cause the characters and story were made shallow, while you do it cause the actor is not of the same race as in the books, that is not remotely the same.
@AllKnowingNick think what you want, but that's not at all the reason
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlaze thas was in 2005, back when "dumb blonde" was a very popular stereotype, annabeth, an extremely intelligent girl, being blonde in 2005 was going against this stereotype and that was a defining characteristic of her, but times have changed, we're in 2023, almost 2 decades later, i haven't heard a "dumb blonde" joke in several years now, that trope is simply not culturally relevant anymore, on the other hand what i do see very frequently is black people being underestimated in their intelligence, in the past few years ive seen so many people unironically state that black people are inherently less intelligent than people of other races, so if anything, annabeth being black in this 2023 show is actually more accurate to the character and the story than it would've been if they had casted a blonde girl
I have absolutely nothing against dark-skinned people, but if Characters are white in the books, then why can't they just stay white in the movies.
It's not that hard 😭
Why do you give a single flying fuck if a character who is in no way in the entire story behaving a certain way because of their skin colour, has a different skin colour? What the fuck. Think about that. Think about why you care. Be better.
Apparently for Disney it is…
They made snow white mexican, I'm actually combusting💀💀💀
because it was the only way to get them on the shelves?? there's no way in hell disney would have published a five-part series with Black AND Indian main characters in 2005. Plus, he said himself that Leah was the perfect person to cast as Annabeth. As much as represetation matters to him and his fans I don't think he cast a Black actor just for the sake of casting a Black actor
finally someone with a god damn brain
Then why make Zeus black it's fine to make demi gods mixed or whatever but Zeus is literally Greek.
@@thehumanolive9348 yeah, and? They're gods, their appearance doesn't matter-and it's not like Olympus is in in the series; why wouldn't the gods choose to reflect their surroundings?
@@cheese012 I'm sure there were, but I doubt you give me an example that is as widely known and loved as percy jackson was. If you can, great! It still doesn't erase the fact that as soon as riordan started writing openly queer characters and POC as main character there was lashback, even though the kane chornicles came out in 2010, house of hades was published in 2013 and magnus chase + gods of asgard was 2015.
I really hope, after how they ruined The Witcher, i dont have much hope.
Plenty of people have interpreted the characters as being different races since the book probably came out. You look it up and you will find plenty of art of it. From like years ago
These books were written maybe earlier 2000's. Representation was a mere dream.
First of all you know this guy never read the books, second of all it doesn't matter what race they are ad long as they do a good job. Any pjo fan would tell you that.
I’m a huge fan but Its kinda jarring because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlazeclearly you don’t know what you’re talking about, Annabeth has GRAY eyes not BLUE. That’s one of the attributes Athena has in mythology, don’t claim to be a fan and complain about these things if you’re going to give incorrect information
@@Slow_Internet can a typo not be a thing? And I am a huge fan I love all the books and very excited about the show and have a right like you to critique media put out to the public. I’m honestly think the actress can do a great job, I’m literally just saying I get why people have apprehensions in the choices made in casting but overall it it’s what it is
@@BurnFireBlaze it’s not just a simple typo, it’s more the fact that if you are going to make a critique and not use accurate information, you just look silly. Especially if the point is about how that is her trademark look, how do you forget about it if it is?
You are allowed to critique all you want, but if you are making a point how her blonde hair and her *gray eyes are so heavily consistent in the series. Use accurate information.
Also I don’t know why you are targeting her specifically, because if anything, Walker Scobel is almost a genderbent version of annabeth (minus the gray eyes), but I don’t see you complaining about that.
Or even with Grover.
@@Slow_Internet because they don’t look as vastly different compared to Anathbeth’s casting Choice again I have no problem with it but I can see why some people do.
It’s like making SpongeBob triangle and green when we have known him to be square and yellow, sure he can still be the lovable character we know a love and we can accept the change, but it’s gonna throw people off why they changed him so much
Also people have had criticisms on walker as well from what I have read as well
Also if it really bothers you this much even when I said it’s a typo and I made a mistake, I’ll edit and update the comment so it’s more accurate for people. I’m not trying to cause any conflict or hate just stating my honest opinion.
Seriously, who gaf? This is straight fiction, it makes no difference. It isn't a historical flic, or a period drama, it isn't even a classical folk lorn that comes from a specific country's heritage
Many care and fiction or not, changing character’s race isn’t cool dude. Stop lying to yourself
Imagine if they made Harry Potter black lmao
@@SkyridebyHELL NAHH😭😭
It makes a difference if the author claims for 2 years the show will be great BECAUSE of accurate actors, gets the fans who've been reading his books for 10 years, excited, and then lies in our faces by casting people who look nothing like the characters.
@@firestriker3580exactly plus its greek culture im not a fan of this whole cultural appropriation noncense but these are just ridiculous id be offended if i was greek having my gods/goddesses not being represented accurately
He selected who he thought would portray the actors the best.
**me looking for myself in the characters**
I don’t necessarily want to see my race I just want to see a show that true to the books. And while this guy doesn’t seem to have read any of the books cuz he can’t pronounce the author’s name right, I agree that the races should’ve stayed the same
Bro is speaking facts even if he doesn't know how to say "Riordan"
I understand why people have been disappointed, same as me. We had a certain picture of this character in our mind, that suddenly changed, regardless of the race. That leads to confusion and disappointment, which could have been avoided, since pj is also pretty diverse in the books. But to be honest, i think she does a good job and shouldnt be blamed in any way. Its just a different look for the character, than we imagined reading the books. And i think rr concludes it pretty well, that they chose talent over looks. And at least it isnt some 30 year old people playing some 12 year olds as in the movies.
It's called learning. Sometimes people make decisions while writing a book twenty years ago and realize later that they could and should have done better, so they support varied representation in the current day because they *can* change that.
Yep you said about the long and short of it
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
Well, for one, maybe we shouldn't joke about people being stupid because they're blonde just...in general? More than that, it's important for fans of any franchise to realize that, in going from book to adaptation, the image we all have in our heads is never going to be perfectly represented on the screen. The beauty of books is being in the heads of the characters and imagining for ourselves what we see in the words. We all have different interpretations. Personally, I find it far more important that actors encapsulate actual character traits (intelligence, humor, wit, attitude) then immutable traits like being blonde that could belong to any character.@@BurnFireBlaze
No they can't change it it makes them a hipacrict
So creating a white character is bad?
He wrote the first book 20 years ago, you really think there isn't anything he wished he'd done differently over the years? Sorry but that's just blatant stupidity there's no nice way of putting that.
He may have been afraid to at the start. When the books started most of the chars were white. But as we've gone on those chars have become a lot rarer
Pretty sure he chose the actors based on their acting skills but okay dude.
This guy really thought he had something. Rick Riordan is no J.K. Rowling.
I don't care comments can roast me these characters are wack I hate this Race swapping this is suppose to be a Greek mythology wtf is this.
Agreed
I agree also. Make the characters their description or write a new series and show them instead. Don’t fuck with what’s already golden
@@LaughingLlamagaming Bruh exactly.
If you want something accurate just watch the musical also it's just a fantasy world of Greek Mythology
Dude you are actually the only person I’ve heard complain about this no one else cares because it doesn’t affect the story at all
Edit: now that the shows out she is an amazing actor and how she acts is perfect for Anna Beth so all y’all saying that it was to fill some diversity qouta can go whine all they want they chose her because she was the best fit for her role also why is no one talking about how they made Grover some form of Asian when in official art he was Caucasian
It's woke BS. See the new Snow White movie controversy to see how this harms a series. I personally don't care, I love the Percy Jackson series, but still.
@@emiliotrees2933 bro Percy Jackson has so much “woke bs”
@@thedarkpotatoes Fair enough
@@emiliotrees2933having anything away from the 50s is ‘woke’. the fact that people think that having poc actors is pushing an agenda or forced shows the exact reason it needs to be there
Dude is not the only person complaining
if u had read whole 2 series on Greek mythology, you would have noticed how much inclusivity the sequel had in comparison to the first series, but you probs didn’t.
Almost as if the creator of the story can do whatever he wants with the characters? What an intriguing concept
Diversity is always an issue with racist.
Whats that got to do with diversity if you simply cast an actress that looks zero like it's character and then claim the show will be 100% accurate? He shouldn't have lied to his fans and the fans wouldnt have a problem with that actress
his books are already diverse as is, i'm more curious as to why they couldn't just keep everyone the same as they were described in the books. Also, if Annabeth was described as black in the book and a white girl was casted, there would be a much different reaction by this same crowd who says it's not an issue.
@@jmumps7 diversity means more box office meaning more money. It’s show business , they’re in it to make money. It’s not 1940s Hollywood where everything had to be lily White. It’s modern times and that means displaying a world much more colorful than old Hollywood.
@@jmumps7If the series even get to Hazel, will they have the guts to cast anything other than a "acurrate" person in this case? XD
@@lannelbishop3668too bad the actress suck at acting
I kinda agree. Though i give him credit for inclusivity with magnus chase and the guards of asgard. The gender fluid character litterally changes gender.
ppl forget tht anabeth's motivation was to not be a dumb blonde
It was also cause these actors fit the personality of the characters so it’s much better and will most likely result in better acting.
How is anyone believing this isnt Disney but its the ‘greatest ethnical inclusive author of our era’ changing his mind after 20 years because its what he should have done…😂 Yeah, my ass. This is disney executive race swapping inclusivity at its finest they have race swapped disney princesses literally delayed snow white because of their misandrist lead actress and “anti-dwarf” ideologies. How hard is it to make original black characters instead of swapping ethnicities of existing ones? Casting refers to choosing the right actor who embodies not only the right personality but the right PHYSICAL traits that resemble the character being casted for…
The fact that you are being rude to LITRAL children. I swèar he casted on PERSONALATY not looks and the actors/actresses portray the charecters its not about looks! #LeahisourAnnabeth
It just jarring because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlaze racist bot
@@ultrainstinctshadow so would I not be racist if I was black? Really bold of you to assume my race there buddy😂
@@BurnFireBlaze you can be black and still be racist dumbass
@BurnFireBlaze na I'm pretty sure u would still be racist even if u were black. Being racist has nothing to do with ur skin colour, but rather if u are focusing on another's skin colour
He didn’t choose the actors for people to be seen.He chose them because they fitted the characters best.
Rick Riordan has a lot of characters with other races, and he has a lot of characters that aren’t just white. Such as: Hazel, African American. Frank, Chinese Canadian. Leo, Hispanic. Piper, Native American (Cherokee). Reyna, Puerto Rican. Nico, Italian. And, he chose Leah, Walker, Aryan, Dior and all the characters for how well they portray the characters, not because of their race or designs. And, it’s his show & his books. He can do whatever he wants with it.
WHY. DOES IT. MATTER!? It's a book made for teenagers and at the time he probably didn't think of it! This is the same stupid argument about race look more at the God damn character and less at their skin color
your just confuseing me how am I supposed to look at the character without looking at there skin color it physically impossible
@Daughter-of-Hecate
But it's actually not impossible it's actually fairly simple.
@@TeamCap623 look at there feet?
@@Chickon567
No you just have to not think about it that much, it's really not that hard at all.
It weird because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with blue eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
Didn’t he literally say that he regretted not having a more diverse cast and that he’d change it if given the chance?? What is wrong with y’all???
First, your name his hilarious, but secondly, he did make his cast diverse. It was in the second series about the Roman gods.
Rick wasn’t picking the actors out by looks he was picking them out about relationship or how much they related to their very own characters.
I like how he didn’t compare the other characters to the book but instead just showed Annabeth and Leah
They need to keep the material the way it was stop switching it fr no race swap or nun it's annoying. Keep the material the same as the book 🙈
if! he! invented! the! characters! he! can! do! what! he! wants! with! them! thats! the! thing! about! WRITING! STORIES!
You would say that. But consistency is a thing in stories for a reason. If I can’t instantly recognize who an actor is meant to be portraying then they’re not doing their job. When I saw the trailer I thought Leah might’ve been Clarisse. The main characters should be recognizable.
His creation, if he wants he can make them
All pink with yellow stripes.
Tell me you've never read the source material without telling me youve never read the source material
So because I'm black I can't identify with a white kid who controls the oceans?
LOL wait.. are you serious your confusing me 😵💫
Brother, what? No that’s exactly how you should view things. It’s not about being able to see your skin color in the character it’s about being accurate to the descriptions of the book.
As a writer myself, when it comes to creating good characters, physical traits are equally as important as personality. You want your character to be recognisable both by how they look and how they act. When you have a character with a clearly defined and recognisable appearance that us consistently referenced with internet the writing itself, a character who’s a central figure in multiple book series’ with a massive fandom, you can’t just change such a beloved character’s race. Not only is this race swap incredibly jarring, it also introduces inconsistencies within the story. Annabeth’s mother is Greek and her father, I believe, is of Scandinavian descent (I could be wrong on this but wasn’t Randolph obsessed with Norse mythology due to ancestry?). I have nothing against the actress but regardless of her acting ability (which remains to be seen), an actor simply can’t portray any given character perfectly if they don’t look the part. Back in the original dumpster fire adaptation, people were up in arms about the fact that her hair and eye colour were wrong (though I’ll admit, those were far from the biggest issues) but now it’s acceptable to change race too? I don’t care what a character’s race is but it has to stay consistent, more so than any other physical trait.
Anyways, I’ve had my rant.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk.
I agree so so so much!!! She has an iconic image and altering it SO drastically is a shock! All we want is the characters we read about and daydreamed about in our books to come to life!
The horror! the outrage! I hope the pain this casting caused you didn't keep you from sleeping and enjoying your meals.
I was hesitant at first too, but these actors embody the heart of the characters so well
I read this series like 80 times. Of all the characters they picked the one with the strongest mental image as a blonde to race swap. Its just bad casting
Why is that bad casting? Leah is good for the role, and she did great in the first two episodes so at this point you’re just racist.
@@randomartsyperson97 no, not wanting characters to be race swapped for diversity quotas isnt racist actually. If a black character was swapped for a white one people would flip and would they be racist for it? I just dont like that this is a growing trend, people will act like race is an important/meaningful aspect of a character (which it usually is) and then be cool with them swapping around just to make a company look more inclusive
@@randomartsyperson97People form strong attachments to characters, which means both their appearance and personality. The desire for character consistency does not make someone racist, I would be just as annoyed if Black Panther was suddenly cast as a white dude as I am now with the abysmal casting of this show.
@@ZiroWattthe racism comes in when you talk about “diversity quotas” because you’re saying her talent couldn’t possibly have had anything to do with why the author, who knows the character better than anyone, picked her
@@3lizabethrose ?? Im not saying she isnt a good actress. I wouldnt cast a white woman to play a black character no matter how good of an actress that white woman was. I also wouldnt cast a black woman to play a white character no matter how good she was. So Id say, this is bad casting
Rick Riordan has truly sold out as an author and I want nothing to do with any of his books ever again. Not after he commissioned official art and updated art of what the characters are supposed to look like. So there's no excuse for why he's doing this he's just selling out and shilling for Disney
You mess with uncle rick you mess with the whole fandom hon we’re coming for you
Time to make a movie about Rosa parks being Hispanic, MLK white, etcetera
Here's the thing about choice of Annie(at least from my perspective): I have come around the stereotype where people would just say that black people are dumb, just like they did to blondes, that is just the other way of breaking this stereotype. I would be also bad not to even mention the efforts of the young actress. Also the follow-up series speaks for itself, not to mention magnus chase and kane chronicles Of course
I mean, they could just be misogynistic people. Octavian hates on Reyna’s rulership of the legion and thinks Annabeth is an idiot. He could just be a misogynist.
It’s called learning, dude, something you should consider too.
Their race doesn’t matter. At all. Annabeth being blonde was only important in like one line in a much later book
This is comment is not trying to be rude to you or the actors I love them all very much and I can’t wait to see the new adaptation of it I think I will enjoy it regardless of who’s playing any of the characters. However I disagree with the fact that staying true to the original is a bad thing and I actually think I would prefer it to stay somewhat true to the original story. Annabeth being blonde is actually very important throughout the story because it’s supposed to be breaking the dumb blonde stereotype that her and I believe everyone in the Athena cabin is blonde. ( I can’t recall if all Athena kids are blonde my apologies if I’m wrong.) I don’t care if Annabeth is black as much as I care about her being blonde but aside from that almost everyone got a race swap (other than Percy) As far as main characters go they both Annabeth and Grover had a change in race ( Like I already said I love all these actors and I think they are amazing and I also never really thought grover had darker skin I don’t really know why.) but not only them but Zeus and Chiron (Again I’m alright with changing things about a story in no way am I trying to imply that some changes are ok.) So far from they trailer the only Percy has stayed a Tibet bit close to his original description ( I wish that they could do something about the hair and eyes on him because his sea green eyes are probably the feature that stands out the most in descriptions.) At the end of the day I would say that if Rick wants to have more representation of different cultures or races that’s ok but I don’t think he should change the main characters maybe add more Black, Hispanic, Asian, and mixed people ( I don’t mean to replace white people just to make sure we show how mixed América is especially close to big city’s like new york.)into the backgrounds to show the mixing pot that América is . Just to mention this is my opinion from a bi-cultural person I’m Hispanic and white. Once again no hate to you or the actors I love them all very much and I’m very grateful you took the time out of your day to read this I know it’s very long and I’m so sorry for that I just think it’s a complex topic and hard to sum up. Have a wonderful day and if you chose to reply please chose be respectful love you ❤
@@AnnoyingANNIEwhen was the last time you heard a "dumb blonde" joke tho?? the "dumb blonde stereotype was extremely popular in the early-mid 2000s, which is when the first books were written, so annabeth being blonde and smart and so defying this stereotype was an awesome play and became a defining characteristic of her, however, times have changed, almost two decades have passed and the "dumb blonde" trope has now become culturally irrelevant, if anything it's now way more common for people to underestimate the intelligence of black girls and than it is for people to underestimate the intelligence of blonde girls, ive lost count of how many times ive unfortunately seen right-wing dipshits on the internet arguing that black people are inherently less intelligent than white people, so if anything annabeth being black in this 2023 series is more accurate to her character and the story than her being blonde
@@meowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww While I respect your opinions I am going to disagree. I am not certain but I believe the show will or at least should be set in the mid 2000s to be as accurate to the book’s time period with any technology or similar things as possible. Unfortunately you are right that some people believe their race is smarter than others not only white people of course many races do it. However I don’t think Annabeth being black is because of a stereotype I think that it’s just for diversity and diversity is great everyone in the world is different it’s not right to act like people who don’t look like you don’t exist but my problem with it is changing already existing characters to a point where it’s practically impossible to recognize them as the original. Grover is fine he’s obviously Grover with his goat hooves Percy doesn’t really look like Percy’s his hair is wrong and so are his eyes and that’s to be expected with a live action and although both Annabeth and Grover had race swaps it’s impossible to look at live action Annabeth and say she looks anything like the original. I don’t think its a huge deal it’s not going to make or break whether I like they show or not but the movie isn’t even out and I’ve noticed what 4 race swaps? I personally don’t think that changing the characters is awful but I don’t think it’s right either what if they made Charlie white or Leo black and Frank Hispanic with a asian Hazel it’s not ok so tell be how it’s much different. Anyway absolutely no hate to you or to the actress I look forward to seeing her version of Annabeth and I can’t wait for the show to release! I say all this with much love I just wish for you to see both sides of the story have a great day.💕💕💕
I ment isn’t because of a stereotype instead of is my bad
@@AnnoyingANNIEthe dumb boned stereotype isn’t important to the story anymore tho, because it isn’t a stereotype now
How dare he look back at his past work with a fresh perspective? Everyone knows once you’ve made a piece of art, you cannot ever change your opinion about it or create any kind of updated version of it. Can you even imagine that anyone, let alone an artist, could grow as a person over time?
It’s not like he can go back to every single book he ever wrote that has those characters and change everything.
Or... or... NOW HEAR ME OUT... what race they are isn't important to their stories and he knows this cause yk he wrote them. The actors were chosen mainky cause he though those actors would portray them best. I also love that your clearly not a fan like genuinely almost all the genuine fans that grew up with those books and those who are loving them now have no issue with it
I’m a huge fan but Its a bit jarring because one of the key features of anabeth is that she is blond with grey eyes, it’s stated so heavily and consistently in the books it can come off as very strange to cast someone the complete opposite of that heck there are jokes made and issues brought up specifically because she is blonde
@@BurnFireBlaze the main feature of Annabeth is sassy nerd this actress can pull this off dont matter how she look the jokes can be changed or got rid of changing her appearance wont really effect the story in a any major way you wouldnt say shit if they casted a white girl with brown eyes or blue eyes but beacuse they made her black its "jaring"
Alright, so with that logic black panther could be played by a white guy and it would make perfect sense and his race wouldn’t matter? Obviously not since that would be plain weird and not fit with his character. Annabeth is explicitly stated to be blond with grey eyes, the same color eyes as Athena. So actually, it is important.
@@Eternal_Placidity the show is out people seem fine with her now shush about it god dang
Uh no one said she couldn't have grey eyes or blonde in her hair. In this case the blonde would be fake(which is fine) and she could have grey eyes and it could be written off as she has the "unnatural" color because it's a unique trait of her being a half-blood. That was probably suggested but just like how percy is now blonde they probably didn't wanna subject literal childer to uncomfortable fake contacts or wigs or years of hair damage from the hair dye
Nahhhh ur just racist 💀
Couldn’t even say his name right
The Greek government should sue him
“oH nO. aNabEtH iS BlAck!” Who cares? Stop bullying a child because of your own narrow minded beliefs
Roasted
THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE.
Who is bullying the actress? Obviously that’s wrong, but saying she clearly doesn’t fit the role isn’t bullying.
@@xXSCDTXx
Ok number 1, she is fit for the role perfectly.
Number 2, yes, it is bullying if you’re being s**t to a child just because of her skin color.
Number 3, looks don’t matter as long as they portray the character correctly, so go f**k off and get over your narrow-minded beliefs about how not everyone is the same
Number 4, Annabeth is what we call a FICTIONAL character. Fictional means nonexistent k? So there’s not going to be someone who will be EXACTLY the same as her from every last little hair strand
Quit complaining about what people look like and get a f*****g life. Stop trying to lecture people about what bullying “oBVioUsLY” is if your don’t know yourself.
@@xXSCDTXx there was alot of backlash because of her casting. It got really bad that Rick had to write an article on his website to stop the harassment
Race swapping at this point is rediculous... He has characters of different races, etc.
There is NO reasont to replace them at this point.
Maybe he thought they acted good? Are you just ignoring why he picked them💀
He didn't care about the race he cared about their personality and Chemistry
He picked the people who has a similar personality to the characters so it'll feel like them
Hes reasoning is solid and hes the author... but since youve seen yourself in media all your life you cant understand what representation means
I’ve actually never been in a movie and I don’t think this man has either. Maybe stop seeing yourself as every latino person and you’ll finally be able to get out of your racist bubble.
"Seeing yourself"... thats simply ridiculous only a person obsessed with race would want tô see itself?? In a character why a Black person cant identify with a white character or vice versa ? I'm South American and its The most dificult thing to see a Brazilian like me in an American movie or tv show, do i complain ? No because im not watching a movie tô see myself or my "race" represented there but to be entertained by The story be invested in characters Their struggles , triumphs , failures etc and being abre to relate them by their personality and values rather than looks .
Bro I don’t want to hear it Rick Riodian Is an amazing person ,and a even better author so before you attack a person try to get to know them and see their side
He said that when casting they were paying attention to their personalitys more than anything
He chose the characters in the show based on their acting ability and how they represented the characters like they chose people who normally act like the characters usually
... dude he just didn't think to write Annabeth that way, chill.
He didn‘t hire these actors because of their race, he hired them because they were the best people to bring the personality of these roles to live. If you claim you‘re not racist, then you shouldn‘t care, because we fell in love with the personalities of the characters, not their skin color.
Some people think looks is all that matters when it comes to casting, even tho that’s not true at all. Take a look at the Rock’s Black Adam, sure the Rock looked like the character but he acted nothing like him at all it was just the same character he always plays as in a Black Adam costume 😂
Bet all of you $10 that Disney made him say that so they don’t keep getting hated on
It’s funny seeing how toxic the majority of the fan base is you can’t offer any criticism without fans freaking out and getting defensive lol crazy
Being on Disney plus is going ruin the series way faster than race swapping
True half the people don’t even have Disney plus
just watched it finish and honestly it was pretty good
Have you ever read this guy’s books? Like seriously. I was pretty bummed at first because they would be dyeing walker’s and Leah’s hair, but if you’ve read the books, you’d know that personality wise, the casting is great.
It doesn’t matter so long as they play the parts. I mean sure, with some characters, it’s part of their actual backstory. Per example, piper getting bullied for her race. And yeah, annabeth talks about breaking the dumb blonde stereotypes and I would’ve loved for them to include that, but this annabeth is breaking stereotypes too and the show turned out great. Who cares what race they are? It’s about seeing the demigod world come to life. On top of that, there’s the bonus of different groups having an easier time seeing themselves as other characters. I like that they changed it up a bit, it’s better we get to see Percy Jackson come to life while also getting a bit of a spin on it than just seeing they’re best attempt on the exact book. I mean, with the movies they were way too far off. But it’s impossible to get the show exactly right when everyone imagines the books differently, like not everyone imagines characters exactly as they’re described, I know I don’t pronounce the names in my head like I’m supposed to every time.
have you read any other book written by him? his sequel series, heroes of olympus, has many characters of different race, and nico di angelo comes out as gay. he also has magnus chase, which also includes characters of different race, and a genderfluid character, who has a romance was the main character. ☠️
Leos hispanic/mexican
Hazels african-american
Alex Fierro is genderfluid
Magnus chase is bi
Percy is Mediterranean
Pipers cherokee
Nicos gay
Wills bi
Apollos bi
Charlie is african american
The list goes on.
*magnus is pan, percy isn’t specified, nico’s italian and so is his sister too
The issue is character consistency, not any of this.
@@venusreyy mb, i just knew magnus was prob at least bi because he likes at least boys and girls, and i think one book specifies percy as Mediterranean, but idk and i forgot abt nico and bianca
You’re literally just proving that he didn’t have to race swap a beloved character because he already characters that were diverse.
Stop criticizing him like chill
Once your work is out there people will criticize your work for better or worse kinda how that goes
Disney loves doing this right now and Disney pays really well. That’s pretty much all there is to it. Kinda sad.
Honestly it more so matters on their acting skills, Leah Walker and aryan did AWESOME acting and it actual made me feel like they are the characters not just the actors, they are kids love them be
Rick is the author of the books he can do whatever he wants with the show. This is such a dumb thing to be mad about.
Ok then make percy the son of ares annabeth the daughter of zeus, quiron take the place of Luke in the story, see how thats dumb ?
If race is s problem for you watch the series then maybe you should…. Not watch it?
A white man sotting there complaining the characters aren’t white is so fucking wild 😂😂
despite not looking like her book description at all, annabeths actress is so book accurate for sass