Charlie Bushnell

Charlie Bushnell didn’t watch Stranger Things when it first aired. But after finally catching up on the series, he marched straight to his parents and asked if he could try acting.

Today, Bushnell plays Luke Castellan on Disney’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Adapted from Rick Riordan’s bestselling novels, the series follows Percy Jackson (played by Walker Scobell), a demigod son of Poseidon, as he embarks on an odyssey through a world of Greek mythology, monsters, and prophecies.

Bushnell’s character, Luke, starts out as Percy’s trusted mentor until his true nature as a double agent comes to light. By the end of the first season, he betrays Percy, aligning himself with the Titan Kronos in a plot to overthrow Olympus. In season two, that allegiance is unequivocal. Luke is, as Bushnell puts it, “110% committed.”

With the second season wrapping up, Bushnell reflects on how his current work resembles the dreams and imaginations he harbored as a kid. “It’s such a surreal feeling,” Bushnell says. Part of that surrealness is observing the intricacies of such a large production; the collaborative, complex nature of the project made him more aware of everything audiences don’t see. “You just realize how big of a machine it is, how crucial every single person involved is in the process of making the series,” he notes. “When you watch the final product of a TV show or movie, you're just seeing the actors on stage and their performance. But everything that went into setting up a shot, like the lighting and directing, plays such a key part in bringing the story to life.”

Bushnell follows his curiosity, constantly striving beyond what he already knows. While filming, he took the opportunity to shadow producers and directors, gaining a more hands-on understanding of the behind-the-scenes processes. The experience changed his perception of such production projects: “The crew, they're truly the unsung heroes of every production,” he adds.

For Bushnell, exploring his creativity was a passion he had always enjoyed but pursued only later in life. As a child, he and his brother would perform for family members with their imaginative flair. Bushnell would also channel this enthusiasm into making short films on his iPad for fun. Yet, even with an inclination toward performance, he initially preferred supporting roles in school plays. “Just give me like one or two lines, and I'm good,” he jokes.

That liking shifted when he watched the first season of Stranger Things. “There was something about watching the show that just clicked for me,” he shares. Seeing actors his age on screen, he credits the show for making acting feel like something he could realistically take on.

While Stranger Things inspired Bushnell to pursue acting, Percy Jackson and the Olympians pushed him to enhance his craft, particularly in portraying morally ambiguous characters. In the first season, he emphasizes the importance of playing Luke as a welcoming older brother to Percy. In the second season, Luke is transformed into a different role, one that is firmly grounded in leadership and “unapologetic” about his stance. At the same time, he maintains what he describes as Luke’s “inner conflict,” specifically in relation to Annabeth and Thalia.

To capture Luke at different stages, Bushnell leaned into distinctive physical choices. Most notably, he likens a younger Luke to a hermit crab: “he is kind of always just looking over his shoulder and peeping out only when he thinks he's safe.”

Still, Bushnell refrains from flattening Luke into a simple antagonist. Luke’s perspective on the world, he says, stems from a life defined by instability and the witnessing of injustice. “Luke has seen so many kids just filter in and out that have just never been claimed by their parents, and who just feel lost and alone, having no idea what their place in the world is,” Bushnell explains. “At the end of the day, even though he knows that what he's doing is going to hurt others, particularly the ones that he loves, he's doing this for them because he just truly believes that this is what's right and what's best for everyone.”

In Bushnell’s eyes, Luke is someone who simply wants to use his voice as a catalyst for reform.  “I think Luke, in every reality, would try to make a change in some way or another,” he says. “Luke wants to bring back the golden age, create a better world for demigods and monsters, and for every living being that's kind of fallen victim to the gods.”

While Bushnell values the process behind his performance as Luke, what stays with him the most is the response from his viewers and fans. “I think, honestly, what keeps acting meaningful is just seeing how much of an impact it has on the viewers and the fans,” he says. “There were so many people who would reach out to me and tell me how much they connected with my character and how much watching it helped them in their lives. It’s really seeing the passion and the love that the Percy Jackson fandom has for the characters and the show.”

Looking forward, Bushnell says he hopes to explore more “slice-of-life” stories; having recently rewatched Past Lives, he describes the movie as the kind of intimate storytelling he’d love to take on. “I just love those films where you follow these characters and their relationships,” he says. “They just feel very human and real.” He’s also considered returning to theater, which he hasn’t done since middle school, and sees it as an opportunity to sharpen his acting.

For now, Bushnell is still adjusting to the fact that what once felt like a childhood dream has become his day-to-day life. “I just love acting and stepping into someone else’s shoes, bringing a character to life,” he says. “I love it, and I can’t see myself doing anything else. There’s no better feeling.”

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The season finale and all episodes of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” are available to binge on January 21 on Disney+ and Hulu.