Alexandra Daddario isn’t putting up with the backlash surrounding the cast of the new Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.
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In case you missed it, last week, the stars of the upcoming Disney+ show were revealed — and tons of fans were loving the news.
Unfortunately, not everyone was pleased about the casting choices, particularly Leah Jeffries’ role as Annabeth Chase.
Welcome home demigods ⚡ Meet Annabeth, Percy, and Grover. Get ready for #PercyJackson and The Olympians coming to @DisneyPlus.
@PercySeries / Disney / Via Twitter: @PercySeries
Certain social media users expressed outrage because Leah — who is Black — is of a different skin tone than how Annabeth was written in the books. Online trolls even got her banned from TikTok.
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Amidst the criticism, Alexandra wanted to make sure that Leah had her full support in taking over the role that she portrayed in the original films.
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Alexandra, who played Annabeth in the first two movies, took to Twitter to pen a sweet message to the young actor.
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“Leah Jeffries is going to be an incredible Annabeth!!!” Alexandra wrote — to which many fans replied with their support.
@AADaddario / Via Twitter: @AADaddario
And Alexandra isn’t the only member of the Percy Jackson family to approve of Leah’s role — author Rick Riordan couldn’t be more supportive.
In fact, he penned a lengthy note on his website defending Leah’s casting, calling her “a role model for new generations of girls who will see in her the kind of hero they want to be.”
Fortunately, Leah isn’t letting the haters get to her and is ready to take on her new role, which starts shooting this summer.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexgurley/alexandra-daddario-leah-jeffries-message
