Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 Episode 2 is dedicated to Danny Virtue. The end credits of the second episode, which came out on December 10 on Disney+ and Hulu, call him “a true pioneer.” We asked the Percy Jackson creators about Virtue and his significance to the production of Season 2.
Who is Danny Virtue from Percy Jackson?
If you don’t know his name, odds are you know his work. Virtue was a renowned stunt coordinator, second unit and assistant director, and stunt performer from Canada who has worked on films such as The Twilight Saga and War for the Planet of the Apes. He was an especially skilled horse stunt coordinator, which is what he was hired for on Percy Jackson Season 2. The chariot races in the second episode were a success in part because of Virtue’s work. He and his team cared for all of the horses and handled the stunts with them, including teaching the young cast how to safely perform stunts with the animals.
Virtue died of cancer before Percy Jackson Season 2 came out, but executive producer Dan Shotz tells TV Insider that he was able to show Virtue the finished product of the chariot race scene before Virtue died. It was one of the last projects he ever worked on.
“Danny Virtue was essentially the chariot race architect. Danny Virtue passed away from cancer, I guess, almost a year after we shot it. And he is one of probably the most famous stunt horse whisperers/wranglers in British Columbia, and really one of the most famous in the business,” Shotz explains. “Every famous actor who’s gone up to do a western up in Canada went through Danny Virtue.”
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“When we decided to tackle horses and kids and makeshift chariots in a built circuit, we needed the best in the game. Jon [Steinberg, executive producer] and I had a long history with Danny, and called Danny and said, ‘Can you help us figure this out?’ And he immediately said, ‘I’m all in,’” Shotz continues. “And so he brought all his horses and horses from the Calgary Stampede. We had 20-something horses, we had stables right there on the ground. Those are real stables that we made, set dressing, and Danny was the one who helped us figure out how to make this all practical.”
“Right before he passed, I visited him in the hospital, and I got to show him the chariot race. He got to see his final set piece that he really helped create. It was very hard to lose him. He was very meaningful to us. But I’m so glad that the world is getting to see this chariot race, and we needed to honor him.”
Dior Goodjohn, who plays Clarisse La Rue, also tells TV Insider that the cast got to go to Virtue’s ranch during Season 2 prep to train with the horses.
“We got to go to Danny Virtue’s Ranch. Shout out, Danny Virtue. RIP, Danny Virtue. He was so amazing,” Goodjohn says. “But it was really cool to do that during prep because we got to bond, and we all learned how to horseback ride and mount bareback, and it was really, really cool.”
Shotz paid tribute to Virtue on Instagram in October.
“Today, we honored a legend… Danny Virtue was laid to rest in front of his entire BC film/TV family,” Shotz’s caption says. “He was a pioneer in the stunt community, a game-changing philanthropist in Vancouver and a dear friend to me for many years. He was the best horse trainer in the world and designed the most exceptional chariot race for Percy Jackson and the Olympians.”
“Most importantly, he inspired… everyone… and never let ‘no’ be an answer,” the caption continues. “When my friend Ken Mitchell was diagnosed with ALS and only had use of his one arm, Danny was determined to train him to ride with the other one for our series. And then, when Ken got even sicker, Danny’s foundation helped raise money for the family. He did it without any fanfare or recognition. He did it because that was Danny. I will miss this beautiful soul.”
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Wednesdays, Disney+ and Hulu
