The perks of being Logan Lerman

MANILA, Philippines - Logan Lerman, the titular hero in the upcoming adventure-action flick Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters  sequel to the 2010 global box-office and home entertainment hit Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief — is today one of Hollywood’s newest “it” boys.

At least two major projects starring Lerman is set to hit the big screen next year, opposite some of tinseltown’s A-Listers like Brad Pitt and Shia LeBeouf  in the World War II drama Fury, and Academy Award winners Russel Crowe, Jennifer Connely and Anthony Hopkins in the Biblical epic film Noah.

Thor Freudenthal, director of the Percy Jackson sequel, calls Lerman “a rising star.”

“And rightfully so because he’s extremely talented,” said Freundenthal at a recent press junket for Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters at the swanky Trump Soho in Manhattan (NYC).

“Logan’s got an aw-shucks quality about him, he’s kinda self-deprecating, which is what Percy is as well,” the boyish filmmaker said. “There’s a shyness to him that adds to his appeal. He’s really unlike any other young actors I’ve seen.”

Lerman, a 21-year-old Beverly Hills born and bred actor and who starred in last year’s critically-acclaimed The Perks of Being a Wallflower, tries to stay calm and grounded as he finds himself on his way to the big league.

“I don’t feel that way (heading for superstardom) because there’s really no certainty about what’s gonna happen,” Lerman said at the same NYC press junket.

That feeling of uncertainty, or perhaps self-doubt, is something Lerman shares with the character of Percy, who questions himself in the sequel if he’s just a fluke when he saved the world in The Lightning Thief.

Lerman acknowledged that Percy Jackson, that is based on the famous book series by author Rick Riordan, opened a lot of creative doors for him.

“Without Percy, I won’t be able to land the The Perks of Being a Wallflower and those other complex roles,” he said.

“But I still find it hard to get roles in good films,” confided Lerman, who began his film career in 2000 as the youngest son of Mel Gibson’s character in the war drama The Patriot. “So I’m always on my toes trying to do the best that I can in everything I do.”

In Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Lerman reprises his character as the demigod (half-god, half-human) son of Poseidon, god of the sea in Greek mythology. Produced by 20th Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros., the film is showing across the Philippines on Aug. 7.

In the first installment, Percy, accused of stealing the lightning bolt of Zeus, saved both the Olympus and the world from an apocalyptic war after he found the real thief and returned the missing weapon to Zeus.

In his latest adventure, Percy continues his epic journey, this time to save Camp Half-Blood, the sanctuary of his fellow children of the gods, that is threatened by a horde of mythical monsters. He must find the fabled and magical Golden Fleece that could restore the magical borders of the demigods’ camp destroyed by a giant, metallic and fire-breathing raging bull.

As in the first flick, Percy gets some help from Annabeth Chase (played by Alexandra Daddario), the demigod daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom; and Grover (Brandon Jackson), a satyr (half-man, half-goat) who is tasked to protect Percy. 

Hands down, the sequel is significantly superior than the original in terms of storyline, action sequences and fantastic CGI effects that will keep your eyes — both young and old — glued on the screen from beginning to end.

“We had to work harder in this one because there are more action scenes that are hard to execute,” shared Lerman. “And those scenes look more awesome because of the superb stunts and effects.”

There are visual elements in almost every shot of the film under the watchful eye of visual effects supervisor Dan Kaufman, who was nominated for an Academy Award for District 9. Hundreds of visual effects artists came together to create the CG-generated elements, mostly done by animation and visual effects studio Rhythm and Hues, the group behind the Oscar-winning Life of Pi.

Percy, Annabeth and Grover will be joined in their mind-boggling adventure by Percy’s half-brother, Tyson (played by Douglas Smith), who is a cyclop, a member of a primordial race of giants possessing a single eye in the middle of forehead. Cyclops are viewed as monsters as they like to eat demigods, and Percy and his friends will eventually find out the true nature of his half-brother, who is actually Poseidon’s son by a sea nymph.

There is also a new demigod at Camp Half-Blood named Clarisse LaRue (played by Leven Rambin), daughter of Ares, the god of war. Clarisse, always wanting to be the best to prove herself to her father who wanted a son, contributes to Percy’s feelings of inadequacy and makes him question his abilities and worth.

Percy and company sail on a treacherous odyssey into the deadly waters of the Sea Monsters, known to humans as the Bermuda Triangle, and come face to face with terrifying mythical creatures in their search of the Golden Fleece. The action-packed film is fast-paced and a visual feast, without a single frame wasted, and leaves life lessons for its young viewers.

Lerman hinted that Percy Jackson could be his last coming-of-age work as he sets his sights on more mature roles in both independent and mainstream films.

After all, the boy who was only two when he declared to his mom that he’s going to be an actor after watching a Jackie Chan film, already has an  impressive body of work — and awards to boot — playing kid and teen parts.

Not only did he play as Mel’s youngest son in The Patriot, he also portrayed the younger version of Mel’s character in the comedy What Women Want. He also starred in The Three Musketeers, The Butterfly Effect, The Number 23, 3:10 to Yuman, Riding in Cars with Boys and a host of other features.

“At this stage, I wanna do something different,” declared Lerman. “I’m kinda over doing the same thing that’s why I’m so excited about my new films (next year).”

But then, he said, it all depends if filmmakers have something extraordinary to lure him back to teenybopper roles.

“As of now, the odds are probably slim,” he said, including a return for a possible third serving of Percy Jackson.