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Percy Jackson's cyclops half-brother is a marvel of VFX wizardry and great acting from Daniel Diemer
In an interview at SDCC 2025, Tyson actor Daniel Diemer unpacks how you go about making a one-eyed cyclops believable in Percy Jackson and the Olympians

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One of the most highly anticipated elements of Percy Jackson and the Olympians' sophomore season was how Percy's cyclops brother, Tyson, was going to be brought to life. Considering that humans tend to be born with two eyes on the right and left sides of their faces, the team behind the Percy Jackson Disney+ show had to work with Tyson actor Daniel Diemer to create a performance that would VFX artists could then work their magic on. As it turns out, playing a cyclops character calls for a different set of acting choices than playing a human character.
Speaking with Popverse at San Diego Comic-Con 2025, Daniel Diemer answered a burning question I had about playing Tyson: which of his eyes were the VFX artists going to use create the final movements of Tyson's eyeball? "It's both," Diemer began. "[The VFX artists] made it really, really easy for me. I really didn't have to do much technical. Most of the changes that we did were more in regards to the physicality. Having one eye, depth perception changes, your peripheral is limited. And so how I react to sounds, to danger, the movements are a little bit more stilted, it's like I have to be more careful. And so there's a lot of creation in that that I'm really, really excited about. But on the [shoot] days, it was really, really easy. Using my two eyes, I could just stare at everyone the exact way that I would when I'm working [while playing a two-eyed character]."
Tyson is a fan-favorite character from the Percy Jackson books, because he's so lovable. He's Percy's half-brother, and because he's a cyclops, he's much taller than human kids who are the same age as him. In fact, as tall as he is, Tyson is Percy's younger brother. So just imagine having a baby brother in a massive cyclops body, and that's how you get someone like Tyson.
San Diego Comic-Con's Percy Jackson and the Olympians panel unveiled the teaser for season 2 of the show on Disney+, giving us our first look at footage of Diemer's Tyson. The release date of season 2, December 10, can't come soon enough.
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About Comic-Con International: San Diego 2025
Comic-Con is the premier event for all things comics and related popular art, including movies, television, gaming, interactive multimedia, and so much more! Enjoy cosplay galore and take part in unique programming, exclusive previews, and presentations, not to mention the expansive and diverse Exhibit Hall featuring merchandise and displays representing all fandoms.
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United States
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