'Percy Jackson' star Walker Scobell to skip prom over death threats
Percy Jackson and the Olympians star Walker Scobell is choosing to skip prom after what should have been a normal high school milestone was overshadowed by death threats sent to teenage girls linked to him.
In a statement on his Instagram stories, the actor lamented that he would not be attending the school event.
"Just to let everyone know, I will not be attending prom," Walker wrote. "Please stop sending death threats to every teenage girl who could remotely be associated with me based on their proximity to where I live.
"It's not fair to them or their families. Maybe also just stop sending death threats in general. That's just not cool. Kinda weird I have to say this," he added.
Scobell gained recognition for his lead roles in the science fiction films The Adam Project and Secret Headquarters. His fame skyrocketed even further when he starred as the titular character in the Disney+ fantasy series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
But Scobell isn't the only one from the Percy Jackson cast who has had to deal with troubling fan behavior. His co-star Aryan Simhadri, who plays Grover Underwood, recently opened up about an uncomfortable encounter with a group of fans who inappropriately touched him in public.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he recalled running into "40 drunk college girls" who swarmed him after being recognized by them.
"I was feeling pretty uncomfortable, so I put my hands in my back pockets. And then she reached around and put her hand inside of my back pocket, with my hand already in there," he said.
"There’s not enough room in the back pocket of jeans for more than one hand. She lingered there a little longer than I would have liked. Not that I would have liked it at all," he added.
The Percy Jackson TV show has now been renewed for a third season. It's set to adapt the third book, The Titan's Curse, in Rick Riordan's novel series.