‘Percy Jackson’ cast and crew on bringing the long-awaited adaptation to life

Look, they did want to be half-bloods – and now they are!

Walker Scobell and Leah Jeffries star in the new Disney+ TV series Percy Jackson and The Olympians, which streams its first two episodes on Wednesday. The pair talked to ABC Audio about what it was like to bring the long-awaited adaptation of Rick Riordan‘s book series to life.

Scobell steps into the main role as Percy Jackson and said it means a lot to represent the beloved character for a whole new generation of fans.

“I mean, I’m a little bit nervous because I want them to like it,” Scobell said. “I really don’t want to screw it up because I want to watch the show, too. Even if I wasn’t going to get the part, I wanted to watch it anyway because I love Percy Jackson.”

Jeffries takes on the role of Annabeth Chase and said her favorite thing about the character is her independence.

“It made me proud to feel like I’m playing a girl who is very strong and very tough, and will go out into the world and say, ‘I’m not afraid of anything,’” Jeffries said. “It’s very amazing playing that part because it builds that character into you.”

Series creator Jonathan E. Steinberg understands just how long fans have been waiting for an adaptation like this.

“I watched a family member who is a teenager and has a really special relationship with these books watch the first two episodes, and that was almost enough for the whole thing,” Steinberg said. “Just how important this is to people and feeling like when you’re getting it right and they’re feeling the things the book made them feel in all of the familiar ways and in new ways, it’s pretty gratifying.”