Rick Riordan: Percy Jackson author condemns racist backlash over Disney+ series casting
Best-selling children’s series is being adapted into a new TV show
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Rick Riordan, the author of the bestselling Percy Jackson children’s book series, has condemned a racist backlash over the casting of a new TV adaptation.
Leah Jeffries was cast as Annabeth Chase in the forthcoming Disney Plus TV series. In the books, the character is described as being white, while Jeffries is Black.
In a blog post shared on Tuesday (10 May), Riordan addressed criticism of Jeffries’ casting, characterising the objections as being “racist”.
“If you have a problem with this casting,” he wrote, “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.”
He stated that he was “quite clear” when casting was first announced that the production woul follow Disney’s policy on nondiscrimination, which includes a commitment to “diverse, inclusive casting”.
“You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks,” he wrote. “She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white. Friends, that is racism.”
“Racism/colourism 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 recognise 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.”
You can read Riordan’s full blog post here.
The first novel in Riordan’s series, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, was previously adapted into a Hollywood film in 2010 starring Logan Lerman.