The Magicians’ Olivia Taylor Dudley on playing 20 different versions of Alice

Rejoice, Fillorians! Syfy’s The Magicians is poised to return next week for another season of intricate tut spells, magical Fillorian critters, and general supernatural intrigue. In a standout episode from the last season, the human version of Alice, played by Olivia Taylor Dudley, is killed off, and niffin Alice takes over (a niffin is a shell of pure energy left over when a person attempts too much magic and dies). This effectively transformed Alice into an all-powerful badass, capable of magic far beyond that of her human form. This also allowed Dudley to stretch her acting muscles, playing different versions of the same character. In a recent set visit, we spoke with Dudley about that experience.