Major congratulations are in order for actress, Tamara Smart! The 19-year-old is set to join the cast for season two of the new Disney hit series, Percy Jackson and The Olympians.
The talented teen posted an Image on Instagram announcing the news with a simple caption, “Ok, we’ll tell you…Tamara Smart is Thalia Grace.”
For those of you who are not quite caught up on your Greek mythology in the world of Percy Jackson, according to JustJared.com, here is a quick catch up lesson!
Thalia is the Demigod daughter of Zeus who made her last stand to protect her friends at the edge of Camp Half-Blood. Rather than let her die, Zeus transformed her into a tree that anchors the force field that protects camp. Tough and prickly, with a rebel/punk sensibility, Thalia is fiercely loyal to her friends and distrustful of her father’s world.
In a statement the Percy Jackson & The Olympians author and show executive producer commented about how elated he is to have Smart portray Thalia.
“Thalia Grace is one of the most important characters in the Percy Jackson universe, so the right casting was critical. 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’s casting as the daughter of Zeus in the Disney series is truly meaningful role for the young actress as she previously played the role of Zeus’s daughter, opposite the late Lance Reddick, who portrayed the role on the popular Netflix series, Resident Evil.
“I’m so grateful and excited to be joining the cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It’s so close to my heart,” Tamara shared in reaction to the role. “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.”
Season two of Percy Jackson & The Olympians is currently in production and will debut on Disney+ in 2025.
Photo: Tamara Smart Instagram