Former James Bond actor Toby Stephens is almost unrecognisable in his latest role as Poseidon in Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The 54-year-old, who played villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 Bond film Die Another Day, appears as the God of the Sea in the series based on Rick Riordan's books.
Stephens made his debut in the penultimate episode, appearing in a flashback scene with Virginia Kull, who plays Percy's mother Sally Jackson. The series follows 12-year-old demigod Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) as he races to find Zeus's stolen thunderbolt and restore order to Olympus.
Reflecting on his role, Stephens described the Greek gods as 'sleaze bags' in an interview with TVLine. 'If you go back to the original Greek myths, they were total sleaze bags,' he said. 'Zeus and Poseidon, they were all going around siring children all over the place. They were morally, pretty feckless.'
The actor, son of Dame Maggie Smith and Sir Robert Stephens, has appeared in a range of roles since his Bond days, including the BBC's Jane Eyre (2006), Starz's Black Sails (2014-2017) and Netflix's Lost in Space (2018-2021).
Fans have praised the series, with many rating it 10/10. One X user wrote: 'The penultimate episode of Percy Jackson is so so good. 10/10 no notes for me.' Another commented: 'Toby Stephens is so well cast as Poseidon, and his scene with Virginia Kull was so emotional.'
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is streaming on Disney+, with the final episode due next week.
