T
he only thing
that Summer Bishil has come to expect when
she shows up to the set of The Magicians is
that she can forget her expectations.
“It’s not the kind of show you can
show up to and know what to expect and
get comfortable,” Bishil said. “The stakes
are always high and the circumstances shift
rather quickly and often.”
Bishil isn’t unfamiliar with these kinds
of twists and turns. Over the course of her
early life, her family moved from Pasadena,
California to Saudi Arabia, then to Bahrain,
and back to Southern California. It was after
this return to the Golden State that Bishil
decided to take her chance to become an
actress.
“I became involved with acting as a
teenager,” Bishil said. “I always knew I
wanted to give it a go and see where it could
lead, so as soon as I saw an opportunity to
pursue it after moving to Los Angeles, I
did.”
Bishil was drawn to The Magicians,
which wrapped up its second season on the
Syfy channel earlier this year, and her role
as Margo Hanson during the casting process
based solely on the material she was given to
try out for the show.
“The thing that really drew me to
the material was in the audition process.
Before reading the books, I fell in love with
Margo,” Bishil said. “The audition material
really seduced me and I thought to myself, ‘I
want this!’”
Now, even as a part of the show, she
still finds herself drawn in by the surprises
that each new script throws at her. It’s also
helped to add new layers to her acting and
refine how she plays certain scenes.
“I’ve never read a script and thought
to myself, ‘Well, I saw that coming,’”
Bishil said. “So in a lot of ways, it’s made
me disciplined in the sense that I operate
purely from instinct. Learning to trust those
instincts has been invaluable, really.”
She continued, “One of the things I love
most about this show is it forces you as an
actress to ground fantastical scenarios. The
circumstances my character is placed in are
never normal or predictable and they are not
what I would ever expect to happen.”
For Bishil, the most enjoyable part of
her role is “how deeply gratifying it has been
to play a woman who doesn’t apologize for
her sexuality or her right to be heard.”
“She is courageous,” Bishil said. “Early
on in her life, she knows exactly who she is
and she is self-aware enough to change when
she is confronted with her own limitations
and failures. She is nobody’s fool and when
she loves someone or cares for him or
her, she is the most loyal friend you could
hope to have. But she doesn’t throw her
loyalties around casually. Her trust is hard
earned. She is off the cuff, spontaneous, and
energetic.”
There is also a more personal aspect to
her role that she stressed the importance of.
“I’d be remiss to not point out that she
is also a woman of color in a leadership
role on television,” Bishil said. “However
whimsical her regality might be, that’s
important to me; to play powerful, dynamic
women and to see those types of characters
on television because not too long ago, it
was hard to find.”
While Bishil has played many different
characters and enjoyed them all, she says
Margo is especially close to her heart. “She
is the type of character that I fought to be
able to play for a long time,” she explained.
“She is not weighed down by endemic
prejudices that come along with being an
actress of color. She is emancipated in every
sense of the word.”
Since the show is based on a series of
books, it predictably already had a dedicated
fan base. Regardless, Bishil said that the
response to the show goes much further than
just enthusiasm from the cult following.
“It has been those things, but it’s also
resonated with people in a meaningful way,”
Bishil said. “It really has shown what mental
illness can look like and what it can do to
you and those around you.”
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According to Bishil, the magic on the
show has been used as a tool to shed light on
upsetting, but important truths in the world,
and most importantly, how we cope with
difficult times in life.
“Yes, magic is there or was there until
the end of season two, but it doesn’t alleviate
what it feels like to be 20-something and
realize the world not only doesn’t revolve
around you, but it can also do a number
on you,” she said. “These 20-somethings
are confronting that myth while living out
mythology, literally!”
The Magicians is slated to return for
its third season on Wednesday, January 10th
at 9/8c. Bishil said that fans can expect the
unexpected.
“That is how I felt during production,”
Bishil said. “You don’t want to miss a beat
because it is a dense season in the best
possible way. You’ll also get to see some
new characters take center stage in some
really inventive ways.”
For Bishil herself, being on a show
successful enough to be filming a third
season is something every actor would love.
Plus, if it gives her the chance to continue
playing Margo Hanson, she’s all in.
“It’s the elusive dream,” Bishil
said. “Especially coming from a beloved
book series, it means we did right by the
books and the pre-existing fans and that’s
something to be proud of. I’ll be happy to
live in Margo’s fabulous shoes as long as
they’ll let me.”
She continued, “Living with her for 3
years has made me fearless. It’s demanded
that I be present at all times while I am
playing her and that I be fully in my body.
That’s been a real learning curve for me. I
know I’ll look back at Margo in 10 years and
think, ‘Hey, that was a truly special role.’”
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