Leah Jeffries
Born
Leah Sava Jeffries

(2009-09-25) September 25, 2009
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
EducationNovi Community School District
OccupationActor
Years active2014–present
Known forAnnabeth Chase in Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Leah Sava Jeffries (/sə.ˈveɪ/; born September 25, 2009)[1][2] is an American child actress.[3][4] Jeffries made her acting debut on the American musical drama, Empire (2015) and later her feature film debut in the action-thriller Beast (2022). In 2022, Jeffries was cast as Annabeth Chase in the television adaptation of Rick Riordan's fantasy novel series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

Early life

Jeffries was born in Detroit to Leah Jeffries and Floyd S. Jeffries Jr.[5][6] She has an older brother, Floyd Jeffries, who is also an actor and model.[6] She attended school in the Novi Community School District.[3]

Career

Prior to her acting debut, Jeffries worked as a model for children's products for Carol's Daughter.[6]

Jeffries' acting debut was at age 5 as Lola Lyon on Empire.[6][7]

On May 5, 2022, Jeffries was announced as Annabeth Chase in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Immediately following the casting announcement, Jeffries received harassment online because she was African-American, while her character, Annabeth Chase, was portrayed as white in the book series the show was based on.[4][8] On May 10, the books' author, Rick Riordan, posted a blog post in which he condemned the backlash against Jeffries and reaffirmed his support of her.[4][8][9] Alexandra Daddario, the actress who played Annabeth in the two movie adaptations, also posted support for Jeffries online.[9] Members of the fanbase who supported Jeffries' casting posted support online with the hashtag #LeahIsOurAnnabeth.[10]

In August 2022, the film Beast was released, in which Jeffries played Norah Samuels.[7]

Personal life

Jeffries currently lives in Los Angeles.[11]

Filmography

Film

Year Project Role Notes Ref
2018 Faith Under Fire Fiona TV Movie
2019 PawParazzi Monique
2022 Beast Norah Samuels
2022 Something from Tiffany's Daisy Greene

Television

Year Project Role Notes Ref
2015-2016 Empire Lola Lyon Recurring Role [6]
2018-2019 Rel Brandi 11 episodes [7]
2023–present Percy Jackson and the Olympians Annabeth Chase Main Role [11]

References

  1. ↑ "Which 'Percy Jackson' Star is 'Most Likely To' be a real Demigod?". YouTube. Variety. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Percy Jackson Fans Celebrate Annabeth Chase Actress Leah Jeffries's Birthday". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  3. 1 2 Hinds, Julie (May 13, 2022). "Metro Detroit tween lands role on Disney+ series, faces racist backlash on social media". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  4. 1 2 3 Johnson, Christen A. (2022-05-11). "'Percy Jackson' Author Calls Out Racism Directed at 12-Year-Old Leah Sava Jeffries". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  5. ↑ Lobo, Natalia (2022-05-10). "Leah Sava Jeffries' profile: Meet the 'Percy Jackson' actress". Bolavip US. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Hinds, Julie. "Metro Detroit girl makes big 'Empire' impression". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  7. 1 2 3 Luckoff, Kaitlyn. "Child actress returns home to Metro Detroit to host 'Beast' movie screening". The Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  8. 1 2 Blair, Elizabeth (May 10, 2022). "Percy Jackson creator Rick Riordan rips complaints about casting the TV series". NPR. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Thompson, Mary Pat (May 12, 2022). "Leah Jeffries gets support after backlash to her casting in 'Percy Jackson' Disney+ series". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  10. ↑ Baker-Whitelaw, Gavia (2022-05-11). "'They literally took down my whole account': Black child actress Leah Sava Jeffries' TikTok deactivated amid racist harassment campaign over 'Percy Jackson' casting". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  11. 1 2 Otterson, Joe (2022-05-05). "'Percy Jackson' Disney+ Series Casts Aryan Simhadri as Grover, Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
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