‘Percy Jackson and The Olympians’series is coming to an end, with its final episode set to be released on Tuesday, January 31th. The show has been very welcomed by fans of the original books, and has become one of the most watched series on Disney+.
While the series stars Walker Scobell as the titular hero, as well as Leah Sava Jeffries and Aryan Simhadri as Annabeth and Grover, respectively, one character that fans love/hate is Luke Castellan, son of Hermes (played by Lin-Manuel Miranda).
Previously played by Jake Abel, this time the character is being portrayed by 19-year-old Charlie Bushnell. With the series finale coming and, as fans of the book know, there will be a big storyline for Luke, here’s all you need to know about Bushnell.
Charlie Bushnell’s projects and career
His role as Luke is only his second professional acting gig. Bushnell, who was born in Los Angeles in 2004, first appeared on Disney+ series “Diary of a Future President,” in which he played Bobby. Speaking to ComicBook.com, the actor said that the series was a learning experience, as he took conscience of “how much of a team effort it is, creating a movie or a show.”
In the same interview, he also compared the process of creating a character from scratch and taking the role of a very well-known character, such as Luke. “When you’re creating a character, you can make it your own in a lot of ways and almost use your imagination a bit more to create a backstory. With Luke, my main goal was really to take what was on the page and just fully bring it to life on screen,” he said.
For Percy Jackson, Bushnell said that he had to do a process of research, including reading the books, to inform his character. Even talking with Rick Riordan, author of the novels and now executive producer of the series, was helpful for his performance. “We definitely did talk about Luke as a character and his arc and what’s in the future for him,” he explained.
In which other projects will he appear?
After Percy, Bushnell will make his voice-acting debut in Peacock’s upcoming animated series “In The Know,” which lands on the platform on January 25th. He plays Chase, a college intern working at NPR, which he describes as a “funny lad,” and “sort of a frat bro, but with a heart of gold.”
However, the actor is, of course, keen to return to Percy Jackson, if the series gets renewed. “We’re looking to the future as well,” he said about the series, which is planned to become a five-season journey, adapting the main books of the original series.