Author Rick Riordan has condemned the negative backlash over Leah Sava Jeffries' casting as Annabeth Chase in the new Disney+ adaptation of his novels.
Last week, Disney gave a major update on its new show Percy Jackson and the Olympians, announcing Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri and Jeffries as the leading actors in the series.
But the casting caused some backlash online after some fans expressed outrage over Jeffries, a Black actor, playing Annebeth, who has a different skin tone in the books.
In a blog post, Riordan has condemned the negative response and given his full support for Jeffries in the role.
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"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," he began the post.
"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," he continued.
"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," he wrote, alluding to the fact that he'd signed off on the casting while urging fans to trust his judgement as the creator of the series.
"Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase," he added.
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Riordan finished his post by condemning those who have overlooked Jeffries' ability as an actor. "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," he wrote. "You refuse to believe her selection could have been based on merit... You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks.
"Watch the show or don’t. That’s your call. But this will be an adaptation that I am proud of, and which fully honors the spirit of Percy Jackson and the Olympians."
Percy Jackson and the Olympians will stream exclusively on Disney+.
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Brenna Cooper is a freelance journalist, who currently specialises in entertainment reporting. She joined Digital Spy in 2022, writing TV and movies stories for the site. After graduating with an NCTJ accredited Journalism Masters from the University of Sheffield in 2020 she has since embarked on a freelance career.
Brenna previously produced lifestyle content for Checklists.co.uk and has a specific interest in music, reviewing live acts and interviewing bands such as Confidence Man and Amyl and the Sniffers.
