Aleks Paunovic tells EW how his version of giant cyclops Polyphemus is “elevated” in the Disney+ series.

*Percy Jackson *season 2 villain talks 5-hour prosthetics process, reveals his role in the first movie

Aleks Paunovic tells EW how his version of giant cyclops Polyphemus is "elevated" in the Disney+ series.

By Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum is a staff writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2019 and is a published author. Her work has previously appeared in *TV Guide Magazine*, E! News/E! Online, *The Hollywood Reporter*, Mashable, Bustle, IGN, DCComics.com, Inverse, *The Daily Northwestern*, and more.

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December 8, 2025 2:54 p.m. ET

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Aleks Paunovic in 'Percy Jackson' season 2. Credit:

Aleks Paunovic has a long history with the *Percy Jackson* franchise — even longer than Odysseus' own journey.

The actor joins the Disney+ show in season 2 as the villain Polyphemus, the giant cyclops who was blinded by Odysseus and complicates the demigods' quest for the Golden Fleece in the Sea of Monsters. But this isn't the first time *Percy Jackson* fans have seen Paunovic as a one-eyed monster battling Percy (played by Walker Scobell in the TV show) onscreen, since he actually appeared in the first movie (starring Logan Lerman in the titular role) 15 years ago as an unnamed cyclops.

"I've also worked with [executive producer] Dan [Shotz] before on a TV show called *See*, so it made me feel pretty great as an actor for him to request me to come in and do this again," Paunovic tells *.* "And knowing the prosthetics that were involved to really capture Polyphemus was something that [made me feel] just like a kid in a candy store. I couldn't wait to play."

Below, Paunovic reveals how he was able to return to the *Percy Jackson* franchise despite appearing in the first movie, how it took five hours every day to transform into Polyphemus, and why fans can expect an "elevated" version of the character in the show.

Aleks Paunovic.

Amy Sussman/Getty

**: What did you know about the *Percy Jackson* book series (or even the movies) before you joined season 2?**

**ALEKS PAUNOVIC: **I knew of the book series, and what's so funny is the producers didn't know when Dan called me, and I wasn't going to say anything until the contract was done, but I was in the first *Percy Jackson* film.

[*Laughs*] I was a cyclops running through the forest, and it was more of a stunt gig than anything. I had prosthetics for that too, and it was a blast. And when I was approached, I was like, "I don't know if I say I'm a part of it that they're going to take it away from me or not." And then when I told Dan afterwards, he was like, "What?!" I'm like, "Yeah, man." He goes, "Well, that's an Easter egg for people." To get to play such a bigger role in the second season [of the show], I was just super excited to be a part of a project like this.

**You might be the only person to be in both the *Percy Jackson* movie franchise and the show.**

I had no idea, but that's probably true, which is a great honor and kind of fluky at the same time. When I read the [season 2] scripts, I was blown away at how fleshed out this character was. I'm putting on about 40 pounds of prosthetics for this, and the headpiece alone was about 15 pounds on top of the 40, so it was pretty extensive, but the makeup department did such a great job.

Walker Scobell in 'Percy Jackson' season 2.

**How did the prosthetics experience as Polyphemus compare to when you had to wear prosthetics in the movie as a cyclops?**

They were both practical prosthetics. The only thing different was the eye — in the first [movie], we had a real, practical eye, so I had tiny little slits for my eyes so I could see, and then that's what they would CGI. With this process, they made what my eyes look like now and how I was acting in the TV show, that's what they used for just the one eye. So my blinking and where my eyes were going were just transferred, and then they took both of my eyes out. So it's actually my eye, and my eye reacting to the scene. I still haven't seen it, so I can't wait to see how they did that. But in general, I had way more prosthetics and costuming for the TV show than I did for the film.

It was a little easier to move in the film just because it was more cut out for my body. They just made me look way more muscular than I am, but this time they went completely the opposite way. I'm like 900 pounds and 12 feet tall. We had to really figure out how I would move as somebody that big. And it was really, really hot, like 90 degrees, and I'm in all this makeup and I have sweat pouring out of me. It was insane. I must've lost 10 pounds during that shoot when we were outside, because it was a lot of running up the mountain, and then, "Cut!" and coming back down. It was exhausting.

**How long did the prosthetics and makeup process take you every day?**

It was about five hours in the chair, not only for the prosthetics but also getting the suit and the clothing on. So it was about five hours, and maybe about an hour and a bit to take off, every day. But I was just surrounded by an amazing team, so made it a lot more tolerable. I could have been in the chair for 10 hours. I would've been fine with it.

**How did you prepare to play Polyphemus?**

I was lucky enough that my acting coach for a bunch of years, Andrew McIlroy, is the coach for everyone on set for *Percy*. So when I was told that Andrew McIlroy is going to reach out to you to talk about the character and the mythology, I was like, "Oh my God, this is amazing," because I've worked with him on some very intimate and emotional projects. Getting the call from Dan and working with Dan before, and also being a fan of the show and being in the first [movie], and then Andrew, it really felt like it was meant to be. That gave me so much confidence walking into set.

Aryan Simhadri in 'Percy Jackson' season 2.

Disney/David Bukach

**What was your first day like on set, working with the prosthetics and costume?**

When I got there, I just couldn't fit in the cast chair. So then it went to being a wheelbarrow. I would sit in a wheelbarrow, and then it progressed after a few days into a like a golf cart, just sitting in the back of that. There's this hilarious picture of the sun beating down, and I'm sweating and sitting in this golf cart-type of thing, holding an umbrella because of the sun, and my feet are just hanging out. But the reaction from people on set of what I looked like and how cool it was, I knew we had it in the bag.

**What was the most difficult part of working with all those prosthetics?**

The first few days of shooting had to be like 90-degree heat. And not only that, but there was a fight [scene] with Leah, so [I was] making sure that my body movements are controlled so I don't hit anybody that I don't want to hit while still making it look heavy and real. But I love pushing through things like that. It just makes it so much more worth it when you see it in its final take. But it was the most difficult, for sure.

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**How does this version of Polyphemus compare to what fans know from the book?**

We really wanted to show an elevated side to who Polyphemus was. There's the comical version of it with Grover and the bride and the fun with that and the way Rick [Riordan] wrote the story, and then we just kind of played with that a little bit. I think the audience is going to get a really cool surprise on this. We got Polyphemus to a level where everyone will recognize who he is, and they'll also be very happy with honoring the original story, but also there [are] surprises. We're showing the diversity and the depth of the depth of who Polyphemus is.

**What can you tell me about those surprises, or what kind of changes you made to the character?**

There's an intellect to him. There's a motivation to him, and it's not all one-dimensional. The idea of Grover being the bride and the Golden Fleece, the idea of people coming to an island that he has lived in for thousands of years and challenging him in a way, and the ruse that's been put on, the way Polyphemus transcends into the role is something that the fans are going to not expect.

**Last season, we saw how the show transformed Medusa's backstory into a tragic victim rather than a one-note villain. It sounds like we can expect the same treatment with Polyphemus.**

That's a great example of it. A lot of people are going to think the same thing about Polyphemus. There's a beautiful, beautiful scene, there's a monologue that Polyphemus has, and it takes you through his journey of being on the island and the Golden Fleece and what people mean to him, and how some people threaten his being. That's one of the things, when I read that and I was learning that dialogue, I was just so pulled into the mind of Polyphemus as opposed to just exposition of who he is as a massive cyclops. You got to really see the humanity about him and what makes him tick and what makes him feel. I could not wait to do that monologue. That's the thing I really could not wait to shoot. I think the fans are going to understand or connect a little differently with Polyphemus than they would've before.

*This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.*

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For more on *Percy Jackson* season 2, check out EW's full cover story. The series returns Dec. 10 on Disney+.

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