In the World of ‘The Magicians’, ‘Real Magic Hurts’ (VIDEO)

Quentin Coldwater, the protagonist of The Magicians, may be #perpetuallydisappointed, but when he’s accepted into the (secret) magic school Brakebills University, his 2D world is suddenly 3D.

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For the first time, Quentin “becomes a real person” and “he meets people who are as smart and as passionate as he is,” says Jason Ralph, who plays the socially awkward student. And Quentin’s belief in Fillory, the imaginary world at the center of his favorite children’s book series, “influences the way he sees the world,” which helps him embrace the reality of magic…even when “real magic hurts,” Ralph adds, foreshadowing the dark times ahead.

Watch the video to learn how Ralph would tweet a description of The Magicians, how the series will be similar or different from Lev Grossman’s book trilogy and how casting a spell in the real world takes more than just “an innate ability.”

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The Magicians, Mondays, 9/8c, Syfy