SPOILERS are ahead for Percy Jackson Season 2, Episode 4 “Clarisse Blows Up Everything,” which is new on streaming this week on Disney+ and Hulu.
We’re officially halfway through Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and the most recent episode brought about the debut of a very important character to the series: Thalia Grace. Thalia is the daughter of Zeus, and a fallen friend to Annabeth, Grover and Luke, who gave her life to protect them. Now that she’s here, we have to talk about her casting origin story and her early arrival to the series.
How Tamara Smart Was Cast As Thalia In Percy Jackson
Twenty-year-old British actress Tamara Smart is our official Thalia Grace, but how was she chosen for the role? Showrunner Dan Shotz shared how she was picked on Instagram. In his words:
After a worldwide search to find Thalia for [Percy Jackson], in mid-July ‘24, I got a call from Stephanie Reddick, the wife of the late, great [Lance Reddick], saying there is this young actress you should take a look at for Thalia. She played Lance’s daughter on another series, she is very important to our family and there is something so magical about her. No pressure, just take a look at her tape. All I could think about is how do I tell Stephanie Reddick that most likely this isn't going to be the person.
That’s right, Tamara Smart and Lance Reddick were both in Netflix’s Resident Evil back in 2022. Sadly, Reddick passed away in 2023 at the age of 60, but apparently, his wife kept in contact with the Percy Jackson showrunning team and decided to throw out an option in Smart. Here’s what happened when she auditioned, per Shotz:
Then her tape came in (woah), then I met her (oh my), then she read with [Walker Scobell] and his first words after the read were… “we are casting her, right?” Magical is so the right word. [Tamara Smart] is a force, a talent with a deep, profound soul and I know she is honoring Lance with every word that comes out of her mouth. Thank you to Stephanie and Lance Reddick for finding us our Thalia.
The Percy Jackson cast and crew suffered a great loss with the death of the original Zeus actor, but it’s kind of perfect that Stephanie Reddick had a hand in the casting of the character’s daughter, isn’t it? The role of Zeus has been recast by Courtney B. Vance, who said he was “embraced” on set despite the difficult circumstances. It’ll definitely be bittersweet whenever Thalia and Zeus do share a scene together.
Thalia Was Introduced Earlier Than I Expected, But I'm All In On The Change
Now, in the Percy Jackson books, Thalia doesn’t make her official first appearance until later in the story than where we are with Sea of Monsters, but as a fan, I found the early introduction to be well done. When CinemaBlend talked to author Rick Riordan, he told us it was a “revelation” to him to see Smart take on the role, and for the story of Thalia to be introduced as a flashback, instead of a story told by Annabeth.
Now that we’ve seen Thalia for the first time in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, we’re of course excited about Episode 5 "We Check In to C.C.'s Spa & Resort", which the showrunners teased might be the best episode yet. The episode drops on Disney+ and Hulu on Wednesday, December 31.
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