Adaptations of long-running young-adult series eventually have to decide how much of the original structure to keep, and the third season of this Disney Plus production appears to be reorganising its most important relationship rather than simply following the books page by page. That is usually a healthy sign. A duo that works on paper can feel static on screen, and the writers have room to give both characters separate motivations before reuniting them. Viewers who read the source material will recognise the broad shape and will argue about the details regardless. The interesting question is what the change does to pacing. A partnership that grows through argument tends to be more watchable than one built on constant agreement, because disagreement produces scenes where something is actually at stake. Nothing about the season is confirmed beyond the hints already released, so the sensible posture is curiosity rather than certainty, and the first episodes will settle how well the adjustment has been handled.
Nico and Bianca di Angelo have spent a long time waiting for their turn on screen. For readers ofRick Riordan’sPercy Jacksonbooks, the siblings’ arrival is one of the biggest reasons tolook forward to an adaptation ofThe Titan’s Curse. There is plenty to get excited about when these two enter Percy’s world, but their relationship has to work before any of the story’s bigger moments can land.
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ForOlive Abercrombie, who plays Bianca in Disney+’sPercy Jackson and the OlympiansSeason 3, that bond was also what stood out when she read the books. Speaking with Collider’sHannah Hunt, Abercrombie explained that she had heard of the series before being cast but hadn’t read it. She has since worked her way through the original books,The Heroes of Olympus, and part ofThe Trials of Apollo, with one particular relationship helping guide her performance.
Bringing Bianca and her younger brother Nico to life meant getting comfortable withLevi Chrisopulos, and their preparation included an exercise that sounds like it would make keeping a straight face almost impossible. According to Abercrombie, their coach,Andrew McElroy, had the actors deliver their dialogue with their foreheads pressed together:
“He had a bunch of kind of awkward things just to get us to get to know each other better and get the dynamic, like we would just put our foreheads together and just like stare into each other’s eyes menacingly and say our lines.”
Olive Abercrombie Says She and Levi Chrisopulos Are “Maybe a Little Too Much Like Siblings”
The unusual rehearsal technique was part of a larger effort to build the familiarity that Nico and Bianca needed. Abercrombie explained why getting that relationship right mattered so much to her. “A big thing for me is definitelyNico and Bianca’s sibling dynamic and their bond.That was definitely my favorite part of the book,so I want to do it justiceand bring it to life," said Abercrombie. Their preparation continued away from rehearsals, too. Abercrombie and Chrisopulos made a point of spending time together outside work, giving them opportunities to get to know each other without a scene to perform. As she told Collider, the pair "also tried to hang out offset as much as possible just to kind of be more comfortable around each other."
Four of the largest communities on the planet, and four completely different reasons to belong to one. Here is yours, what it would give you, and the argument you would be having within a week.
You belong to the fandom that is really about comfort. Hogwarts works on people because it is a place rather than a plot, and the pull is not the wizard war so much as the corridors, the food, the weather and the sense that somebody is expecting you.
You belong to the deepest fandom on this list, the one where somebody has always read further than you and is quietly delighted to say so. Middle-earth rewards patience more than any other world in popular culture.
You belong to the loudest and largest tent of the four, the one where three generations are all watching the same thing and none of them agree about any of it. That disagreement is not a flaw in this fandom, it is the main activity.
You belong to the thinking fandom, the one that turns up for the argument rather than the explosion. Trek has always been a series of ethical problems in space, and the people who love it love being asked what they would have done.
Abercrombie continued, "So, just getting dinner all the time, hanging out off of set as much as possible. Andnow we’re maybe a little too much like siblings, we bicker all the time.” That last detail should befamiliar to anyone with a sibling: affection and irritation can comfortably coexist, and finding both gives the actors something to draw on beyond the dialogue. Abercrombie’s description of their friendship suggests the dinners and deeply awkward staring contests did exactly what they were supposed to do.
Whether that preparation helped her keep a straight face is another matter. Asked who was hardest to get through a scene with without laughing, Abercrombie ultimately nominated herself, describing the effort of trying to stay focused during an intense moment:“I’m just like, 'Lock in, Olive, lock in.'”After rehearsing lines forehead to forehead, she has certainly had some practice.
Percy Jackson and the Olympiansreturns on Disney+ on November 20. Check out our exclusive images from Abercrombie'sPercy Jackson-inspired photoshoot byLindsay Thomastonabove and stay tuned at Collider for more.
