Have you caught the two-episode debut of Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2? It’s new on streaming this week, and it boasts tons of even bigger set pieces than its debut two years ago. One of those scenes that proves this is found in Episode 2, where Camp Half Blood competes in a cutthroat chariot race in order to get a chance at a quest. CinemaBlend spoke to the cast about bringing the exciting action scene to life.
In “Demon Pigeons Attack,” Percy (Walker Scobell) and one of the new characters this season, Percy’s half-brother Tyson (Daniel Diemer), compete against other demigods, including Annabeth and Clarisse. Here’s what Diemer said about filming the sequence in our interview:
There was a massive mechanical rig that was pulling us around at as safest speed as they could, but still going fast. And again, there were parts where when [Walker] getting dragged behind, I mean, it was like really impressive work. He's having to fall off and catch a certain, and obviously, he's like chained in.
While it looks like they are being pulled by horses (though 70 horses were used for other shots in the scene per the producers), they were really pulled by a mechanical rig. However, they were absolutely on the Camp Half Blood set rather than a sound stage. As Walker Scobell added:
Yeah, that was the coolest little stunt I got to do, hanging off the back [of the chariot], they put a pad down. I wasn't actually dragging, but my stunt double, Adam, was. But no, I think the most difficult part about the chariot sequence was [being] harnessed to like the inside of the front of the chariot, and then Daniel was behind me, harnessed around me. So we'd have to keep switching places while we're doing the fights, and it was just impossible to get through.
Sounds like it was a wild ride! The scene allowed Walker Scobell to do a little stunt work, but like he said, perhaps the most difficult part was filming the whole thing while being strapped to his co-star and performing action sequences. Diemer also shared this:
Also, because it's going so fast, but it's still a chariot, it's kind of like jolting the whole time. So, it's like you're trying not to kind of get tossed back. 'Cause then it's gonna look ridiculous 'cause you're not supposed to be chained in there. So you're trying to keep your balance while also kind of dancing around each other for this thing? It was really fun, but it yeah, kind of challenging for sure.
This sure gives us a greater appreciation for the chariot scene. As someone who grew up reading Sea of Monsters, I vividly remember reading about it, and it was so cool to see it come to life in the streaming show.
Producer Jonathan Steinberg also told us it was one of those moments from the book that they weren’t certain how it was going to work. But due to the commitment of the production team, including renowned stunt coordinator Danny Virtue (who died of cancer in September of this year at the age of 75, and is tributed at the end of Episode 2), they were able to figure out how to manage making the scene look good without sacrificing safety.
We also spoke to author Rick Riordan, who told us about one particular joy he found with this adaptation of Sea of Monsters, which actually gives fans more backstory that he didn’t get to in the books. You can look forward to a new episode of Percy Jackson each Wednesday until the finale drops on January 21. You can see it with a Disney+ subscription or a Hulu subscription.
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