Dana MassingErie Times-News
In Vancouver, Walker Scobell is a demigod. But at home in Fairview Township, he's a 13-year-old who wears super hero pajama pants, eats chocolate chip cookies, wants to go sledding over the holiday break and worries his parents with the amount of time he spends playing video games.
The teen has already starred in the films "The Adam Project" with Ryan Reynolds, which was released on Netflix in March, and "Secret Headquarters" with Owen Wilson, which debuted on Paramount+ in August. Now, Walker is close to wrapping up the first season of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" for Disney+. After his holiday vacation, he has another three weeks of filming as the title character, who is the son of the god Poseidon and a mortal woman.
"I really like doing what I do," the young actor said on a December weekday while sitting at a round dining table with his dad, Pete Scobell, in their Fairview home. Dogs Whiskey, a chocolate lab, and Styx, a Belgian Malinois, came and went under the table. Mom Heather Scobell was in the kitchen. The closely-knit family also includes Leena Scobell, 15, and Tanner Scobell, 11.
"I miss my family," Walker Scobell said. Before his holiday vacation began Dec. 17, he'd been home for only one night since heading to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in May to start prep work on "Percy Jackson and the Olympians." Filming on the series, based on the fantasy novels by Rick Riordan, began in June.
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Walker said the series could begin airing on Disney+ in late 2023 or in 2024. He worked on it pretty much nonstop until his break, which ends Jan. 2.
"I think I've had four days off since May," he said. But he's excited about resuming work in the new year.
"That's when we film all the cool stuff like the Ares fight (between the Greek god of war and Percy Jackson) ... and then I wrap up until season 2," he said.
Walker didn't know when work on the second season would begin.
'Percy Jackson'
Walker was well aware of Riordan's "Percy Jackson" books before auditioning for the series.
"In third grade, my friend Oliver told me I had to read the book," Walker said, adding that he ended up reading the entire series that year.
To turn it into a TV series, he leaves his Vancouver house by 7:15 a.m. and heads to the studio or wherever else filming is occurring. He gets his wardrobe on, goes into hair and makeup and then spends the day switching between working on set and doing schoolwork. His only real downtime is lunch, he said.
The day's work usually wraps up by 6:15 p.m., at which time he changes clothes and removes his makeup. Then it's home by about 8:30.
From September:Fairview teen Walker Scobell stars in teaser trailer for 'Percy Jackson' Disney+ series
His parents have taken turns staying with him in Vancouver and remaining home in Fairview with his sister and brother. The whole family reunited a few times in Canada, Walker said.
"We're making a very concerted effort to keep the family together as much as possible when we have time and when it makes sense," Pete Scobell said.
Although Walker was the only kid in the cast in his first film, "The Adam Project," he was surrounded by a group of parents. His character was the 12-year-old versionof a time-traveling pilot from the future played by Reynolds. The film also starred Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo. All three have children.
"They all parented Walker in such a nice way," said Pete Scobell, who was with Walker in Vancouver for that filming.
He said he was a very proud dad the day director Shawn Levy, after the first few takes, said Walker was "amazing."
Pete Scobell thought his son got along great with Reynolds. Walker agreed that the rapport was natural and nothing he had to work at.
"You can try to make chemistry, but the best chemistry is the chemistry that's just there," he said.
He keeps in contact with his castmates and director.
"I just called Jen (Garner) a little bit ago, like a couple months, to see how she was doing," Walker said.
His dad said they were all kind and supportive.
"They adored working with him and they all want him to be successful and do the things he loves to do," Pete Scobell said.
In Walker's second film, "Secret Headquarters," he had some co-stars closer to his own age.
In that action movie, Scobell played Charlie Kincaid, a teen who discovers the headquarters of the world's most powerful superhero hidden beneath his home. When villains attack, Charlie and his friends defend the headquarters and save the world.
From August:Here's what Fairview teen Walker Scobell told us about filming 'Secret Headquarters'
Walker has co-stars in "Percy Jackson" who are also around his age. Aryan Simhadri is Grover Underwood and Leah Jeffries is Annabeth Chase.
Walker said "Percy Jackson" author Riordan has been very involved in the TV series and on the set a lot. For the young actor, that's both "awesome but also scary because he's the guy who created the book and made all this happen. You always have to be on your A-game, especially in front of him."
Walker said he reads all his scripts through at least three times.
"That's when it's really in your head," he said
While admitting he's looking for other roles, Walker has plans to also stick with the Disney+ series.
"I'm going to continue with 'Percy Jackson' as long as it goes," he said.
Finding balance
Walker said he's happy with the direction his career is headed.
"In a way, (acting) lets me explore a lot of things I'm probably never going to be able to do," he said. "I am never going to fight a Minotaur. I am never going to fight Ares. I'm never going to go to the underworld to get my mom. It's weirdly fun to pretend you're doing that."
For subscribers:Fairview teen Walker Scobell hopes for long acting career after Netflix movie debut
So far, he hasn't had trouble balancing his work and his personal life.
"Fortunately, I like this a lot so it's not too hard for me not to have a day off," he said. "I'd like to come home a little bit more next season if it's possible but I really like doing what I do."
Unlike some, Walker isn't constantly promoting himself on social media, although he has Instagram and TikTok accounts.
"I think I'm just too busy," he said.
It's also not a family priority.
"I think social media has its place, but I'm a big fan of the actors that kind of avoid it," Pete Scobell said. He cited Keanu Reeves as an example, saying "The Matrix" actor is "just a very humble professional, focused on his work and he lets his work speak for himself."
"Be good at what you're doing and your performance will speak for itself," Pete Scobell said.
He added that when his son does say something on social media, it's because it's important.
But Walker is more focused on honing his acting skills and enjoying his family.
"When I come back home, it doesn't really feel like I've done that," he said about making movies. "It kind of just goes immediately back to normal like I was never gone. I find that very nice because I can just kind of jump back home and feel like nothing had happened."
Back in Erie County
One of the first things Walker did on arriving back in Erie County in December was head to one of the local Panera Bread restaurants. He said it's something he didn't have access to in Vancouver.
"I like Erie because it's somewhere nice that you can always come back to," Walker said.
He isn't yet so famous that he gets swarmed by fans at Panera.
"I feel like I'm at the point where people point at me and they recognize me but they don't come up and talk to me," he said.
He doesn't have a plan for if that starts to happen but said he probably should get prepared.
Walker said he has also missed Art's Bakery on West 26th Street in Millcreek Township.
"I like the chocolate chip cookies," he said. "They're really good."
On the market:Art's Bakery for sale for $1.1 million
He hoped there would be enough snow during his two weeks home to head to a neighborhood hill for sledding and he wanted to "just hang out with my family." He said he and his brother Tanner are now rooming together, with bunk beds.
For Christmas or his birthday, in January, Walker was wishing for a "foam Leviathan Axe." It's the weapon of Kratos in the God of War video game.
Walker said he began playing more video games when he started working on movies.
"We're not big fans of video games in the family, but the reason we've allowed them to play video games is because he does get to spend time with his brother online," Pete Scobell said. "They have that connection. When we're apart for as long as we are, it's kind of hard to tell them 'no.'"
Filming of "The Adam Project"began in November 2020, just a year after Walker appeared as Michael in the Fairview Middle School production of "Mary Poppins."Before going to the middle school, Walker had attended Fairview Elementary in fourth grade after the family moved here from Colorado. He is still considered a Fairview student and does his homeschooling through that district.
"Fairview's been very gracious to us because of the (filming) schedule," Pete Scobell said.
He and Heather Scobell graduated from Fairview High School. Pete Scobell, 45, then enlisted in the Navy and became a SEAL and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He and Heather Scobell married in 2005 and the family has been through Pete Scobell's six combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan and about a dozen moves. A guitar player and singer, Pete Scobell also toured with Wynonna Judd and helped start several private sector companies.
Then the family decided about four years ago that it was time to all be together and come home to Fairview, where grandparents Nob and Margie Walker and Christie and Bob Ferrier all live.
"We decided to come home and that's when, of course, he decided to get into acting and that pulled us back on the road," Pete Scobell said.
"Sorry," Walker chimed in.
"No," Pete Scobell said, stopping his son's apology. "I think of all the families for it to happen to ... we've had those discussions, we've done the deployments, we've done the moves. ... So when he started, it was kind of a natural thing for our family."
Walker's father said the Scobells were uniquely suited to their current situation.
"Constant change has been in our family since both his mom and I left here when we were 18," Pete Scobell said.
Family affair
Although Pete Scobell had experience performing on stage as a musician, he wasn't looking to follow in Walker's acting footsteps. But the stunt coordinator he met on "The Adam Project" went on to work on "Plane," a Gerard Butler thriller about an airplane that is struck by lightning and lands on an island, where the passengers are taken prisoner. Butler is the pilot. Pete Scobell plays Jim Lake, one of the mercenaries hired by the plane company to assist in a rescue. The director wanted the mercenaries to have combat experience, Pete Scobell said.
He spent two months in Puerto Rico working on the movie.
"It just fell into my lap," he said. "I wasn't looking for it."
"Plane" is due to be released Jan. 13.
Pete Scobell said his motivation for making the movie was initially to experience what Walker has been going through.
"But at the same time, it's fun," he said.
Pete Scobell thinks he'd also have a lot of fun working on a film project with his son.
Walker pulls Hershey Kisses from a bowl on the table while his dad sits next to him talking about joining the acting profession.
"I would like to work on a project with him," Walker said. "I think that would be pretty cool."
Dana Massing can be reached at dmassing@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNmassing.
