text: Not even gods have it easy as teens - SFGate
  https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Not-even-gods-have-it-easy-as-teens-3273968.php
  Not even gods have it easy as teens
  Jake Abel, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson and Logan Lerman (left to right) are the stars of the film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Photographed in San Francisco, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010. less
  Jake Abel, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson and Logan Lerman (left to right) are the stars of the film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Photographed in San Francisco, Calif., on ... more
  Seated together at a conference table inside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, the four youthful stars of director Chris Columbus' latest family adventure film, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," looked like normal young adults, if more attractive than average. They joked and teased and interrupted each other. But on camera, make no mistake, they are nothing if not extraordinary: All play demigods, the children of Greek and Roman deities.
  And yet, as Logan Lerman, 18, who plays Percy Jackson, the son of sea god Poseidon and a mortal woman (played by Catherine Keener, felt by many to be a goddess in her own right), noted, their basic humanity is the point. "That's what's so appealing about (the film). We're average high school students, with normal, everyday problems, even disabilities. And that's treated as a strength."
  Adapted from a best-selling series of children's books by Rick Riordan, "Percy Jackson" is the latest CGI-enhanced, book-based, big studio juggernaut to come from director Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films, "Home Alone," "Goonies" and other family classics. The basic premise of the book (and movie) is that a handful of teen progeny of the original Greek gods roam the Earth - joining Percy are Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), daughter of the goddess of wisdom Athena; Luke (Jake Abel), the son of Hermes; and Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), an occasionally hoofed satyr who acts as Percy's protector and confidant. The group comes together when Zeus (played by Sean Bean) accuses Percy of ripping off his thunderbolt. As the clouds literally gather overhead, the group must train to harness their collective powers and get the thunderbolt back - meeting famous mythical personages along the way, such as Medusa (Uma Thurman) and Persephone (Rosario Dawson). Oh, and it all takes place in modern America.
  Columbus, who confessed in a phone interview that he felt ready to "swear off the green screen" after his Harry Potter movies, was immediately taken by the idea of setting Greek mythical characters in the regular world.
  "It's an opportunity to really introduce this world to kids," he said, "modern, high-tech Greek myths."
  In such a CGI-enhanced world, one can imagine that most of the action has been pre-determined, leaving little room for the actors to, well, act, but all involved say that it's not the case. When designing scenes, animators make little videos - "pre-viz," they say - which allow the cast and crew to imagine how the final product will look. When it comes time to shoot, though, Columbus allows for a surprising degree of improvisation.
  Take, for example, the sword-fight scenes, of which there are several in "Percy Jackson." The scenes may have been blocked out beforehand, and the actors may be standing in front of a green screen, but there was still room to add elements. A spirited discussion broke out among the four leads about a duel between Lerman and Abel. Apparently, Lerman, Abel and Columbus made up a crucial sequence on the spot. "It's going to change, all the time," Abel said about the nature of dynamic action sequences. "Months of planning, to just change in the moment," chimed in Lerman, who added, reverentially, "With Chris, it's all about discovery."
  One thing that came through, loud and clear, was how thrilled the young stars were to work with Columbus. While the group ranges in age from late teens to early 20s (Jackson didn't give his age because, like James Dean, he said, he aims to be "immortal"), all brimmed with Columbus stories.
  "You know, Spielberg took him out of college for 'Gremlins,' " Abel said, referring to the Columbus-penned '80s blockbuster. "My childhood friends are really jealous I'm working with him." Later on, Lerman interjected, "The last scene reminds me of 'Goonies,' " the fact that it was released before he was born notwithstanding.
  Columbus dished the compliments right back. He laughed when asked about his long list of teen-centered films.
  "It's probably just the material that I'm attracted to - I do like working with people who are unspoiled in the industry," he said. "They haven't done a tremendous amount of films, so they are happy to get the job, as opposed to jaded older actors. The intense enthusiasm fuels their performance. They are excited to come to work, which makes the set a much more creative, collaborative place to be."
  The casting for this film began with Lerman, who Columbus saw in the 2007 Western "3:10 to Yuma." "The film rested on his shoulders. He's the most talented young actor I've ever worked with," Columbus said evenly. After they found Percy, the focus shifted to finding the right chemistry between Lerman and other actors. Jackson, who has a background in comedy, proved to be the right fit for the irreverent satyr Grover. Then Abel came aboard as Luke - "Thank God we found him," Jackson said, imitating some dead line readings by other, unnamed candidates.
  Annabeth proved the hardest to cast - her character is fierce, somewhat stern, but also likable. Daddario, 23, said that she had about three weeks from screen test to shooting in Vancouver. "It was a bit crazy," she admitted.
  As the film is drawn from a book series, it is an open question whether this movie will beget a franchise. The stars, who launched their first-ever press tour in San Francisco, said that they looked forward to making more "Percy Jackson" films. Columbus also said that he would be excited about that prospect as well, even though the process can be exhausting.
  "I am really proud of this movie, although it almost killed me. But I've learned that the ones you sweat blood over, those are the movies worth making." {sbox}