Playing Persephone

MANILA, Philippines - Rosario Dawson is part of the star-studded supporting cast of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. She plays Greek goddess Persephone.

Based on the best-selling novel by Rick Riordan, the movie sets off when Zeus’ master lightning bolt was stolen and is convinced that Percy Jackson (played by newcomer Logan Lerman) is the thief.

Below are excerpts from the interview with Rosario:

How do you envision your character, Persephone?

“Persephone is the goddess of springtime as well as being Queen of the Underworld. I originally thought of her in old Greek robes and flowers but in the end I really liked the modern interpretation of Persephone with chipped nail polish and lace. It is interesting to think of her in a loveless marriage with Hades (who abducted her) and what that must have felt like for her.” Are you familiar with the books?

“I’m already on book three now, I am reading the whole series. There is a lot of banter between my character and my husband (Hades) since he is madly in love with me and I can’t stand him. The story is fascinating to me and it’s been really fun remembering everything I learned about the myths and the different gods and goddesses and the trouble that they got into all the time.”

What did you find interesting about the Percy Jackson stories?

“I find it interesting that we have nine year olds with cell phones and kids are becoming mature at a younger age and the correlation with the increasing number of kids getting diagnosed with conditions like ADD (attention deficit disorder). So here is Percy Jackson who has been told he is dyslexic because his brain is actually hardwired for Greek, so he can’t cope with the English language. I think it is a shame that today’s kids have these words and diagnoses thrown at them and are told there is something wrong with them. Instead, in this story, Percy learns that disabilities can be seen as something positive, actually an advantage.”

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is now showing in theaters.