Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians just landed another key demigod. Today, the series revealed Tamara Smart will play Thalia, daughter of Zeus.
In Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson book series – that the Disney+ show is based on – Thalia Grace made a stand to protect her friends on the outskirts of Camp Half-Blood. Instead of letting her die in battle, Zeus transformed Thalia into a tree intertwined with the magic that protects the camp. In The Sea of Monsters, Thalia’s tree is poisoned, leading Percy and his friends on a quest to find the Golden Fleece.
Smart will appear as a recurring guest star in season 2. If Disney+ continues with the series following the story laid out by Riordan, her role would expand in future seasons.
“Thalia Grace is one of the most important characters in the Percy Jackson universe, so the right casting was critical,” said Riordan. “Thalia is a powerful warrior, a fiercely loyal friend, and a demigod rebel with a very ‘punk’ / ‘rage-against-the-machine’ sensibility. As soon as we saw Tamara Smart play this role, we knew we had found our daughter of Zeus. She was, no pun intended, electric. Tamara puts the ‘grace’ in Thalia Grace!”
Smart joins series regulars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri, Charlie Bushnell, Dior Goodjohn, and Daniel Diemer in season 2.
“I’m so grateful and excited to be joining the cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It’s so close to my heart,” said Smart. “Lance Reddick and I always spoke about working together again, so it’s that much more special and important to me to play his daughter once more as Thalia, and to keep his memory alive. I feel his presence all around me and strive to make him proud on this exciting journey.”
Smart previously played Reddick’s daughter in Netflix’s Resident Evil series. Her other credits include A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting, Artemis Fowl (2020), The Worst Witch, and Wendell & Wild.
Production on season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians is currently underway in Vancouver. New episodes will premiere in 2025. Until then, fans can get their PJO fix by revisiting season 1 on Disney+.
