When Courtney B. Vance was asked to join Percy Jackson and the Olympians for its second season, the role came with a different type of responsibility. He was stepping in as Zeus after the death of Lance Reddick, who played the god of Olympus in season one, and who was also a close friend. The decision went beyond the job itself and forced him to confront the reality of Reddick’s absence.
“I was reluctant because Lance was a dear friend,” Vance said. “So I was like, ‘what do I do? How do I honor him?’” He and Reddick often went up for the same roles over the years, and their relationship extended beyond competition. On his first day on set, the production was prepared to begin shooting immediately. Crew members hesitated, unsure how to navigate the transition. Vance asked to pause. “I asked the director, ‘Do you mind if I say something before we begin?’” he recalls. He spoke to the room, acknowledged Reddick, and allowed space for the cast and crew to process the loss together. The work began after that.
Season two of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, raises the stakes for its young heroes and expands the world they inhabit. Zeus stands as a central authority figure in that universe, one whose presence signals consequence. Vance understood the importance of his role for a cast still early in their careers, and working alongside younger actors has sharpened his sense of leadership on set.
“I’m a servant leader,” Vance explained. “For me, it’s always: how can I help? Or what do you need me to do? With teaching, it’s really simple—it’s someone talking and someone else listening. It is really about you talking to me and me listening fully, and if the situation is presented right, magic happens.”
Vance often references lessons passed down to him by older actors. He recalled being guided early in his career and now sees his role as continuing that practice. Many of the young performers he works with have grown up seeing a broader range of representation than he did. Vance grew up in an era when Black actors were rarely centered on screen. “We couldn’t see ourselves,” he says. “So we had to put ourselves into other people’s situations.”
During the conversation, names such as James Earl Jones, Louis Gossett Jr., Moses Gunn, and Diahann Carroll all come into play. This lineage of Black entertainers all help to inform how he approaches projects like Percy Jackson, a series built around mythology but shaped by modern ideas of inclusion. Vance views the show as part of a longer continuum. “Those are the shoulders that I stand on,” he says, referencing performers who came before him. His obligation now is to remember them while helping the next generation move forward.
As his career has evolved, his priorities have shifted with it. Earlier choices were shaped by his family and presence at home. His children are grown now, and the decisions that he and his wife, Angela Bassett, have to make look different. But, the principle remains unchanged. “What our children know is that they’ve always been more important than our work,” he says.
For Vance, this season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians meant stepping into a space shaped by both legacy and loss, while also helping guide the series in an optimistic direction.
“I remember when I didn’t know anything,” the award-winning actor said with a laugh. “And the people before me took me aside and made sure I knew what was going on—and that’s what I’m doing now. That’s what my role is now, is to point forward, but to make sure you take some of what’s behind with you so you can pay it forward.”