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American actress Alexandra Daddario extended her support to Leah Sava Jeffries, days after the latter faced harsh comments online after being cast as Annabeth Chase in the Percy Jackson series on Disney+.
The 36-year-old actress portrayed the role of Annabeth Chase in two fantasy-drama films from the franchise, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010) and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013).
Some fans were outraged that Jeffries, who is 12-years-old, was cast since she is a Black actor who does not "match" the character, as she was portrayed as white in Rick Riordan's original books, but Daddario defended her on May 10.
Taking to her Twitter handle, she wrote:
"Leah Jeffries is going to be an incredible Annabeth!!!"
On May 5, Jeffries was cast as Annabeth Chase opposite Grover, played by 16-year-old Aryan Simhadri, just weeks after Walker Scobell was cast as the new Percy Jackson.
The movie starred Logan Lerman as Percy, with Daddario and Brandon T. Jackson as Grover.
Percy Jackson's author also extended support to Leah Sava Jeffries
Alexandra Daddario is not the only one coming forward to support Jeffries after she was bashed online for being cast in the upcoming series.
Taking to his official website on May 10, Rick Riordan dedicated a post to people who were against Sava being selected for the role of Annabeth Chase.
"It’s a shame such posts need to be written, but they do. First, let me be clear I am speaking here only for myself. These thoughts are mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect or represent the opinions of any part of Disney, the TV show, the production team, or the Jeffries family."
Praising Leah, he said:
"The response to the casting of Leah has been overwhelmingly positive and joyous, as it should be. Leah brings so much energy and enthusiasm to this role, so much of Annabeth’s strength."
Continuing, he said that Jeffries will be a "role model" for the upcoming generation of girls.
"If you have a problem with this casting, however, 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."
He further addressed the trolls, stating:
"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."
Percy Jackson and the Olympians depicts the story of a 12-year-old modern demigod, Percy (Scobell), who is just coming to grips with his unexpected supernatural powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt. Percy must go on an epic expedition with his companions Grover (Simhadri) and Annabeth (Jeffries) to recover it and restore order to Olympus.
