Percy Jackson and the Olympians is one of the best adaptations of a beloved novel that we’ve seen in years. It’s one of those rare shows, where every episode is somehow better than the last. The series focuses on Percy’s (Walker Scobell) journey to embrace his half-blood nature. However, what really sets him apart from (most of) the other half-bloods is his humanity, instilled in him by his mother Sally (Virginia Kull). We recently had a chance to speak with Kull to discuss what brought her to the role, her thoughts on Sally and Poseidon’s love for each other, and what makes Sally a hero.
With as much as we love the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, it’s almost hard to believe there are people out there who don’t have them memorized like we do. That said, there’s something magical about the moment when someone you love introduces you to something that’s deeply meaningful to them. And, in a sense, Kull was given that experience after she auditioned for the series.
As she explained, “Actually, I had not read any of the books and was not familiar with it when I initially auditioned. It wasn’t until I was overheard by my 10-year-old godson talking about the audition. His eyes went wide like saucers, and I stopped and I thought, ‘Oh, maybe this deserves a second look.’ He just overheard me say Percy Jackson and got so excited. This must be really important to a lot of people.”
We really love that this was her introduction to Rick Riordan‘s world, and we’re also a little jealous of it. Whenever you find something you really love, part of you wishes you could go back and re-live the magic of experiencing it for the first time.
While her godson’s enthusiasm may have sparked her initial curiosity, she was also excited to be working with the people involved in the project. After meeting with director James Bobin and show runners Dan Shotz and Jonathan E. Steinberg to get a sense of the vision for the project, Kull said, “I thought these are artists and humans that I want to spend more time in the room with. This is a story that’s worth telling and important to a lot of people, in particular, one little boy that I cherish.”
As fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians know, the titular character was inspired by author Riordan’s own son. So we can’t imagine a more perfect way for Kull to be brought into the project than through the love of her godson. And there’s no question that Kull herself brings much-needed heart and emotion to Sally’s character.
In a world where the gods can be cold, cruel, distant, and unforgiving Sally is the antithesis of all of that. Not just with her son, Percy, but even with Percy’s dad, Poseidon (Toby Stephens). When asked about her experience working with Stephens, Kull had nothing but praise for her fellow actor. “Toby Stephens, yum, wonderful, amazing actor … [is] so beloved by (show runners) Dan and Jon that I knew I was going to be partnered up with someone really special, and he did not disappoint. He was a dream to work with.”
There’s no question that, in a series filled with memorable moments, Sally’s first scene with Poseidon is a stand-out. The way he comes when she calls. The pain on their faces as they discuss their son. Their obvious love for each other. In fact, when the audience is ready to write him off as an uncaring absentee dad, Sally and Poseidon’s love for each other makes his love for his son equally as unquestionable. Humanizing his character and making it clear he is not entirely like the other gods we have seen in the series.
We’ve loved Sally’s character since the first episode (if not since the first time we read the books). So we don’t really question why Poseidon would fall so deeply for her, mortal though she is. Kull had clearly given the matter some thought, however, saying, “I think Sally’s ability to see through the mist and see the magical Olympian world for what it is both makes her appreciate the power and the majesty and the wonder of it but also makes her see she’s a little less enamored and a little less impressed. I think maybe that’s one of the reasons Poseidon was drawn to her.”
But what about Sally’s love for Posedion – why does she love him so much, and what makes him so special to her? You’re going to want to brace yourself for this answer because it is absolutely perfect.
“I think what she loves about him are the parts of him that are the least God-like, it’s the things she cherishes in her son. It’s why she so fiercely doesn’t want [Percy] to go to camp, wants to keep her with him for as long as possible. Because on paper the things that make him impressive, that make his dad impressive, are not what she considers a value. It’s the mundane, the ordinary, the tiny insignificant weaknesses and frailty. It’s [Poseidon]’s crow’s feet and laugh lines. It’s [Percy]’s twinkle in his eye and the way his mouth turns up just so when he’s up to no good. They’re humanness. The things that make them ordinary and unimpressive, she adores.”
It’s hard to believe that Kull wasn’t a Percy Jackson and the Olympians fan before the series because she just gets it. She understand Sally. She gets Sally’s love for Poseidon and her love for Percy, and how that love makes her willing to make any sacrifice necessary. The glimpses she gives us into Sally’s world feels human and deeply, deeply personal. How could fans do anything less than love her interpretation of the character?
Though for the actress, it was never a given that the fans would love her. Of course, it’s rare for anything to get universal love. Particularly something that means so much to so many people. And Kull is well aware of how much Percy Jackson means to its fans. “It’s a hugely formative part of people’s lives and childhoods. I know I’m not going to be everyone’s cup of tea and I’m not going to be what some people imagined Sally to be. I’m really trying hard and I’m doing my best. I’m trying to infuse her with a strength, and a humility, and a fragility, and an authenticness that people will believe and find refreshing. It’s a immense privilege. It’s an honor. It’s very humbling.”
We couldn’t imagine the character of Sally being in better hands than Kull’s. And her depiction has started having an impact on her real life, as she described being recognized at the playground when she’s playing with her own children. She should get used to it, though, because Percy Jackson and the Olympians is the kind of adaptation that will impact kids today in a way that they will want to share with their own children. The books certainly are.
Though it may be a bit early for Kull to fully understand just how much of an impact she’s likely to have on children who are just tuning in to the Percy Jackson world for the first time. A mother herself, her children are still a little too young to tune into the series. However, as they get older, they’re going to be able to brag that their mom is Sally Jackson. And Sally Jackson is a hero in her own right, even if she is (as Kull describes), a reluctant one.
“She doesn’t want to do what’s asked of her, but any parent on planet Earth they would lay down in traffic for their kid. It’s not even a question. ‘I love this god. No, I’m not going to be with him because it threatens my kid’s safety.'”
As a mom, the way Kull talks about Sally’s love for her son just gets to me. Although all the love in the world doesn’t make being a parent easy. And as the mother of a demigod – and a forbidden one, at that – Sally’s got it a little bit harder than most. “[Sally] is also a single mother who’s working full time and doing what she has to, to get through the day. She’s exhausted. She’s a dreamer, but she’s also a realist. She’s putting her own needs and wants aside because the literal life of her kid depends on it.”
As for which episode is Kull’s favorite? She couldn’t quite choose, though she was moved by Grover (Aryan Simhadri) finding Ferdinand in the third episode and Percy praying to his mom instead of his dad in the first episode. “I just thought [it] was so beautifully rendered. In watching both of those, I felt really lucky that they’re my
scene partners for so much of this. I thought, ‘Okay, good. I got a good one.’ I’ve signed on to partner up with these two jokers, and turns out they’re actually pretty darn talented.”
There’s no question that Kull – and everyone involved in Percy Jackson and the Olympians is well aware of the responsibility they hold, to be respectful for the “sacredness” of a story that has meant so much to so many fans. Or, as Kull put it, “[The story is] not just mine, it’s not just ours. This has a larger life and a larger scope and a larger impact. It’s more than what Rick originally made. It’s not just his. It’s such a responsibility, such an honor. I know that not everyone is going to be happy all the time and I’m humbled by that.”
We couldn’t be happier to have such a perfect actress to portray Sally Jackson.
