It was at 11:25pm PST and had a chat open half hour before to submit questions and .... well... chat. The chat took place atop the Acropolis in Greece
The four main (young) cast members were there:
-Logan Lerman - Percy Jackson
-Alexandra Daddario - Annabeth Chase
-Jake Abel - Luke
-Brandon T. Jackson - Grover Underwood
The host asked questions that had been submitted by fans via chat, with a lot of comparison to Harry Potter.
The cast, wisely, responded that they can only hope it will be as loved and successful as Harry Potter, however, it was different completely in the way of plot. Percy Jackson deals with Greek Mythology, while Harry Potter, of course, wizardry.
The director, as you may know, is Chris Columbus, who also directed and produced Harry Potter (the first two) while also producing Prisoner of Azkaban. Columbus also wrote Gremlins, and the screenplay for Goonies (sorry I'm a sucker for classic 80s films).
The cast said the director was amazing and worked "around the clock" to make this movie fantastic. Jackson also complimented him on his ability to create a PG movie that will appeal to all ages.
Jackson talked about some challenges playing his character, Grover. He said he had to wear tights with markers on them for the CGI and he'd always have to beon tip-toe to make his "animal legs" seem realistic.
He remembered wearing ballet slippers and socks and tip-toeing through muddy forests all day.
I know the forests they used and it was Spring here in Vancouver, a rainy, muddy season ideed.
When the cast was asked how their movie abilities may help them in real life if they had them, Abel provided the best answer saying Herme's winged shoes would allow him to save money on airfare.
Fans asked Lerman if he would get a twitter and he said only if he had something worth saying, to which Jackson plugged his own twitter account.
There were no pranks on set but lot's of "jam sessions" as there was always a guitar around though they had very little spare time it was mostly spent with training.
The group talked about their bonding experience through pre-production and fight training and how that bond created trust for actual filming of the fight scenes. Daddario said she was cast quite late and less time to prepare for fighting but felt comfortable with the group.
The host asked about both the amazing Stunts and the fantastic SFX. Most of the cast chose the "hydra scene" as their favourite SFX moment and that tied in nicely with the "exclusive new clip" they showed after the chat which was the Hydra Scene.
For me, the scene was interesting because it opened with a shot of our own Vancouver Art Gallery, [but let's face it, what movie or tv show shot here hasn't used that landmark ha ha] but the transformation of the Hydra was, as the cast describes, detailed and amazing.
Though it was only the main "young" actors in the chat, I want those of you unfamiliar with this series to note that this is the first movie in the series and features top actors such as Uma Thurman, [also in upcoming Bel Ami] Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd, Rosario Dawson, and more.
Be sure to check out Percy Jackson February 12 in Theatres.
