[Source: CNN]
The author of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” has called out fans for being racist, after backlash against the casting of a Black actress in the upcoming television adaption of the popular book series.
Actress Leah Jeffries was cast to play Annabeth Chase in the Disney+ adaptation of Rick Riordan’s beloved novels. In the books, Chase is described as White, and some fans have criticized the casting of Jeffries for not visually aligning with the books.
Riordan was quick to defend Jeffries and condemn the haters in a blog post published Tuesday.
“You are judging her appropriateness for this role solely and exclusively on how she looks. She is a Black girl playing someone who was described in the books as white,” he wrote. “Friends, that is racism.”
Since the casting announcement was revealed last week, Riordan said Jeffries has been on the receiving end of racist bullying and other online harassment. In his post, Riordan called these comments “out of line” and demanded they stop. Still, most of the response to the casting announcement has been positive, he said.
