Tamara Smart is preparing to showcase a more intense portrayal of Thalia Grace in the upcoming third season of Disney+'s "Percy Jackson and the Olympians." Despite some initial plans shifting with script revisions, Smart expressed pride in how the character, daughter of Zeus, has been developed.
"I came in with a whole idea for Thalia and then some of it went out the window when we got the scripts and there were new things brought in," Smart told Decider backstage at San Diego Comic-Con. "I genuinely can say that every single thing about Thalia has been thought down to a T and I’m so, so proud of it."
Smart highlighted the collaborative process with the show's executive producers and producers, who allowed for creative input. She noted that elements like costume, hair, makeup, and accessories significantly aided her in embodying Thalia's persona. Specifically, the actress pointed to Thalia's platform Doc Martens as a key element that influenced her performance.
"Even the shoes had me walking different and it just kind of gets you in this time step that you can’t lose until you’re fully out of it," Smart explained. "I think part of it was just want I want this to be good for the fans; this is the first time we’re seeing Thalia be her full true self. I want young women to watch it and feel empowered."
Season 3 will follow Percy (Walker Scobell), Thalia, Grover (Aryan Simhadri), and others as they search for Luke (Charlie Bushnell), who is holding Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) captive, a plotline adapted from Rick Riordan's book "Percy Jackson & The Titan's Curse." Smart described a daily realization on set of the responsibility she felt to the characters and the fans.
"There was a wake-up [moment] every morning, [where I thought] ‘I want to do this justice, I want to do them proud, I want this so we’re gonna do it,'" she said.
The first two seasons of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" are currently available for streaming on Disney+. Season 3 is scheduled to premiere on November 20.