‘The Magicians’ – Stella Maeve on Season 4 and the New Julia

Syfy’s The Magicians returns for its fourth season on Wednesday, January 23, 2019. The end of season three found the main players without magic and without their memories. More importantly, Julia (Stella Maeve) gave up her incredible powers to help her friends and is now also unable to perform magic.

During roundtable interview at the San Diego Comic Con, Stella Maeve teased that we’ll see Julia involved in a new relationship. Maeve also confessed she understands Julia’s sacrifice but was sad to see her lose her god-like powers so soon after embracing them.

So, it was an interesting end for season three…

Stella Maeve: “Yeah, disappointing for me, right?”

Did you feel disappointed?

Stella Maeve: “As Stella. I wish I had Julia’s reaction which was this is for the greater good. I have an immense amount of power that will never be depleted, and then it’s like as Stella I’ve waited three years for this moment and finally got it and then it was like taken away.”

How is she feeling at the beginning of season four?

Stella Maeve: “Well, we start out and our characters are not themselves. We actually had – I don’t even know if I’m allowed to say this – but we have other actors playing our characters. It’s crazy. You’ll see. You’ll meet these characters that you thought you knew but you don’t know them at all. So, it’s going to be interesting.”

Did you work with the actor playing you?

Stella Maeve: “I did. She was really cool. We could not be more different. I didn’t realize that that was what was going to happen. I thought we were going to play these completely other people. Like, different people. But they literally are just playing us in scenes. It’s wild.”

What does that mean for pre-existing dynamics between the characters? Are you playing new dynamics as actors and then seeing this other story play out?

Stella Maeve: “Not for Julia. I can’t speak for the other actors. That might be true, but not in this particular storyline.”

How does this other Julia differ from the Julia we know?

Stella Maeve: “Well, she’s an architect and she’s a little bit clumsy. She might not be a brunette…not that there’s anything wrong with that. (Laughing) She just might be different.”

What else is in store for Julia?

Stella Maeve: “Julia gets a little bit of a romantic life. I don’t know how far it goes, but that’s something to tease about. You may or may not know this suitor. He may or may not be a part of the cast.”

Some people enjoy the idea of Julia and the other Penny. Is that something you’d like to see?

(No answer but lots of smiles and a little whistling.)

Are there any magical or sci-fi books or films that you can compare this upcoming season to? Like, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Narnia?

Stella Maeve: “What would you consider the Library? What would you consider that in other [stories]? There’s some weird power hierarchies within this season. I don’t know how much of that I can really talk about and I don’t know that much about it, but I just know that Library may have power. They got the power. So, there’s no magic, right, and we’re trying to get the power.

But in regard to comparable comparisons, I don’t know. I’m waiting for Deadwood Magicians, right? I want to be Al. That’s it. I just want to be Al Swearengen.”

Have you pitched that?

Stella Maeve: “No, this is the first time I’m saying that out loud.”

Besides the characters trying to get their memories back, is there a bigger storyline that takes us through the season?

Stella Maeve: “I think that’s what it is, basically. It’s getting their identities back and once they’ve secured their identities, getting magic back…again.”

One of the really interesting dynamics on the show is Julia and Kady. What would you like see happen with that relationship?

Stella Maeve: “I hope that they wind up on the same side of the street and just there for each other. I feel like they are. The trivial things can’t compromise what they are, you know what I mean? I haven’t gotten to work with Jade (Tailor) once this season. Isn’t that crazy? I think they’re just trying to see people with other people, which is good because now we have like, how many? Nine regulars? So it’s nice to see.”

The Magicians Season 4 Stella Maeve
Stella Maeve as Julia Wicker in ‘The Magicians’ season 4 (Photo by: Eric Milner/SYFY)

Do you have a favorite memory from any of the seasons?

Stella Maeve: “I can’t think of my all-time favorite. I’m sure it will have something to do with Jason (Ralph) and making me laugh. You know, season one he convinced me that he was wearing a wig the whole time. We’re shooting the last episode of the season and I went to touch it. He did this trick where he moved his hair. You know when you can move your skin? And I was like, ‘Oh my god, it’s a wig.’ And it wasn’t. That was earth-shattering for me. I was like, ‘Woah, everything I thought I knew I didn’t.’”

Do you pay him back?

Stella Maeve: “You know what? I haven’t. That’s my goal this season. I’m like, ‘Okay, tactics on how to prank Jason better than he’s pranked anyone.’ I haven’t come up with a good plan yet, but I’m working on it.”

Julia’s gone through so much trauma. Is there anything you really want for Julia?

Stella Maeve: “The thing is that I feel that Julia’s journey was acceptance and I feel like she made it to the other side. So now she’s just a part of the ride. She’s a god but doesn’t possess the god-like powers. She possesses still human emotions and the natural things we all have, just maybe on a different level. But I feel like the metaphor behind that is acceptance. It’s like all of these things can happen to us and they can be terrible, they can be wonderful, and we can have things ripped away from us and taken from us, and then we can have things given to us. And it’s like throughout it all we’re able to come full circle and accept who you are and where you are at any given point in your life.

I feel like season three was that for her. So, moving forward it’s kind of like she’s a part of the tribe. She’s okay. There doesn’t seem to be any perpetual dissatisfaction. For me as Stella I’m dissatisfied. I want to be a goddess! But, for her she’s just okay. It’s nice to see her be a part of the team and part of the journey and try to find magic. She’s not on a quest for any self-fulfilling prophecy. She’s just sort of like, ‘Okay, I want to figure all this out and help. What can we do?’ It’s nice.”