Summer Bishil Talks ‘The Magicians’ [Exclusive Interview]

Summer Bishil has appeared on TV shows such as iZombie, 90210, and Law & Order. But, you more than likely know her best from her role as Margo Hanson on Syfy’s The Magicians.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Bishil about her role on The Magicians, her favorite scenes, and more.

Right now on The Magicians, the Fairy Queen has Eliot and Margo doing her bidding and making sure that she stays happy. But, the Fairy Queen has all of the manpower she needs, so why does she have them doing her dirty work? Bishil weighs in.

“I think because she wants to live under a veil. She wants to retain her anonymity with the people of Fillory. She wants to rule with her agenda, with Eliot and Margo applying the agenda. So no, she doesn’t need Margo, and she doesn’t need Eliot, but she wants to keep that anonymity and why remains to be seen,” Bishil said.

Speaking of Eliot and Margo together, over the course of The Magicians Season 2 and The Magicians Season 3, their relationship has gotten more complicated as time has gone on.

“I think that Hale Appleman and I have sort of drawn out how we feel their relationship is and where we feel they are in their relationship,” Bishil explained.

“Their love is sort of intrinsic, and they’ll always be bonded whether or not you see the bond, or it’s illustrated as often as one may need to see in order to justify a bond. They’re okay, and they’ll always be okay because they’re family. Their love is way deeper than any circumstance, journey, or sexuality, and they’re aware of it going beyond that so obviously they’re going to protect it and try to maintain it at all cost,” she continued.

The Magicians has been on the air for multiple seasons now, giving Bishil the opportunity to flesh out Margo and make the character her own.

“My favorite thing about Margo is her loyalty. She’s incredibly loyal and I think that people, especially in the beginning of Season 1, thought she was rather frivolous and superficial. But she’s not, she just doesn’t love often or many, but she loves deeply for the long haul,” Bishil noted.

The challenges that come with playing Margo have come and gone with Bishil. “The biggest challenge is behind me. I think that the biggest challenge was proving that there was more than meets the eye because in Season 1, she could have been seen as superficial, one-note, not dimensional, and I was not interested in playing a character like that for a day much less several seasons.”

“So, I think that my biggest challenge was proving that she was more than that and I think that people have fallen in love with her and all of her dimensions,” Bishil further explained.

Although Bishil spends a majority of her time being Margo, she doesn’t share many qualities with her. “I don’t know why anybody would compare me to Margo. I tend to be soft-spoken, I’m shy, and I’m really nothing like her,” she said.

And it seems that her favorite comedic scene of the season is the same as most fans. “I don’t know how the edit will play, so I haven’t seen all of the edited episodes, but I have to say that it already has been seen. It’s the pop culture reference scene, that was my favorite.”

One thing that Bishil wants for Margo before the end of Season 3 is to get the upper hand. “I want her to gain leverage over the Fairy Queen,” Bishil admitted.

With a vast cast, as The Magicians has, it’s hard to get to film with everyone, and sometimes opportunities get missed. “I think that the actress who plays Emily Greenstreet is a huge talent and I would love to have had a scene with her,” she said.

Two things that some fans might not know about Bishil are that she enjoys writing in her spare time and would love to star in a show with Liev Schreiber. “I think that he’s an amazing actor,” Bishil said.

Bishil couldn’t tease much about the remainder of the season, other than to stay on your toes. “There’s nothing I can really tease without giving too much away other than to expect to be surprised, which if you watch The Magicians you already know.”

Be sure to catch Summer Bishil on The Magicians, airing Wednesdays at 9/8c.

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