The Magicians Season 3 exclusive: Stella Maeve talks lighter storyline for Julia

Julia hasn’t had it easy for the last two seasons of The Magicians, but she’s about to become intensely powerful.

The Magicians Season 2 ended with magic gone and the Gods that created Fillory dead. Now Julia is the only one with her magic, and apparently it may have something to do with Our Lady Underground [Garcelle Beauvais] and the demi-God storyline, as many fans suspect. In an exclusive interview with Hidden Remote, Stella Maeve discussed more about the things to expect for Julia and where she will go from this point.

First, it was all about those meaty Season 2 storylines, which Stella adored.

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“We get to do stuff other shows in our genre don’t and it’s fun to explore,” she explained, as she also shared that Julia’s storyline is going to be a little lighter (at least for the time being) than it has been in previous seasons.

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Stella also confessed that showrunners Sera Gamble and John McNamara don’t share too much of the character storylines with the actors, making preparing harder. The actors are always free to call the showrunners, “which I always do,” Stella told me, but they don’t share too much of the journey for person involved.

"“I’m seeing it for the first time with Julia, so it’s a little more authentic.”"

Over the last two years, Julia has been separated from her best friend, prevented from going to a school she was meant to attend, had her boyfriend forget about her, been raped by a God and lost her shade during a magical abortion. To say she’s been to Hell and back is an understatement. She’s constantly been on the other side of the story, mostly away from the main focus for those at Brakebills. There is a chance for happiness this season, although Stella admits she has no idea what the showrunners plan for Season 4, if the show is renewed another season.

“It’s nice to be more connected with the others this season,” Stella admits, and that is certainly going to be the case. In fact as the only one who has magic, Julia has the chance to take charge of situations and be more central to the overall storyline. She was a knowledge student after all, so will she have the ability to think outside the box and find a solution for the magicless problem.

There’s a chance for her to join in with this quest, instead of taking a side step and coming in as and when needed. And the quest she will definitely go on. Even the trailer makes it very clear Julia is part of the group to find the Seven Keys to bring magic back.

Speaking of Julia as a knowledge student and time loops, there is going to be a look into the different timelines that happened. The Magicians Season 3 has been the chance to “play around” with them and explore in more detail. How they are becoming part of the main storyline is unclear, but will Julia be the only survivor in one of the worlds like Alice [Olivia Taylor Dudley] was in another?

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Despite having an integral part and a lighter storyline, Julia isn’t going to find things easy. She does have some relationships to mend, especially with Kady [Jade Tailor]. Stella says there’s no “ill-will” for Kady, and actually Julia will feel guilty for letting Kady down in a sense. After everything that had happened, Kady needed specific closure against Reynard [Mackenzie Astin] and Julia took that away from her. Of course, with magic gone, Kady may understand why Julia choose to listen to Our Lady Underground, but it won’t be easy for either of them.

“There are going to be characters working together that you wouldn’t likely expect,” Stella hinted, while discussing the future for Julia. While the promo trailers show Quentin [Jason Ralph] and Julia working together, there is going to be a chance for Alice and Julia to work together.

"“[Julia and Alice] don’t really know each other. Olivia [Taylor Dudley] and I have talked a lot about their relationship and things to come.”"

There are many only just watching The Magicians. Season 3 is that point that newcomers feel more comfortable catching up and then watching a show. It’s the time shows find their footing and that is certainly the case for this one. So, how would Stella describe Julia? While many would describe Julia as ambitious, “that doesn’t describe Season 3 Julia.”

"“Can I describe her in one word? God-like! She’s the only one with magic in this magicless place and she’s like a God.”"

With everything happening in the season, Stella can’t pick a certain moment that she’s looking forward to fans seeing on the screen. The whole season is magical, especially mixed with the composition, lighting and the actors working together. This is the “best year for Julia, although maybe that’s because it’s easier for her.”

Next: Hale Appleman discusses Eliot and Fillory without magic on The Magicians Season 3

The Magicians Season 3 premieres Wednesday at 9/8c on Syfy.

Are you excited to see the things to come for Julia? Why do you think she’s the only one with magic? Share your thoughts in the comments below.