Walker Scobellisn’t the only one going on a quest in Season 2 ofPercy Jackson & the Olympians. With his best friend Grover (Aryan Simhadri) kidnapped by Polyphemus and Camp Half-Blood’s magical protections at risk, Percy’s going to need back up — and that comes in the form of the inimitable Clarisse La Rue (Dior Goodjohn), a daughter of Ares chosen by the Oracle to rescue the camp and everyone in it.
At Collider’s SDCC studio, alongside her co-stars Scobell, Simhadri,Leah Sava Jeffries,Charlie Bushnell, andDaniel Diemer, Goodjohn toldPerri Nemiroffthat she did a lot of research on Clarisse, using fan wikis and “everywhere [she] could possibly go to find out information” to gather as much as she could after she was cast, since “there’s not much on her in the books to really, really pull from.” But going into Season 2, where she has her own quest, rather than just being Percy’s camp-yard bully, was a completely different story:
I think the big thing for all of us, especially you and I, Charlie, this season we really, really got to kind of peel back the layers and dive super deep and get into the reasons why, because really, there’s no villains. Everybody actually is justified in what they’re doing, if you take a look at the mechanics of why we are the way we are. And what I’m super excited for this season too is that I got to really, really work in prep on Clarisse’s arc and understanding her heart and everything.
‘Percy Jackson’ Fans Are Going to Change Their Minds About Clarisse Soon
That prep seems like it’s going to pay off, too. While Clarisse is often regarded asa villainPercyfans love to hate, Goodjohn definitely thinkspeople are going to come around to her for one reason or anotherin Season 2 as she captains the Ironclad to find the Golden Fleece:
The biggest difference that I think people are gonna have, you know, in seeing Clarisse is that she really is, in Season 2, a fully actualized and rounded human being and she has her reasons. I mean, you get to dive into her psychology and the things that she’s been through in her life. I mean, I had this one scene with Adam, which was one of my favorite scenes to shoot all season, where you’re able to just see years of trauma laid out right in front of you, and it’s done in such a beautiful way, and it was written in such a beautiful way that you finally get to see her and understand her, and I relate to her so much personally. I think many people are gonna be able to relate, and I think at the end of this season, like we all love to hate her, I love to hate her, as well. She’s great to hate. But I think everyone is going to have like, a twisted reason to actually love her by the end of Season 2, which I’m excited for.
Percy Jackson & the OlympiansSeason 2premieres on December 10. Stay tuned to Collider for more news from San Diego Comic-Con as it arrives.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
