Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Cast Talk Magic For A New Generation
The Russo family returns for a new generation in a continuation of the hit show Wizards of Waverly Place. Set 17 years after the original show premiered, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place follows Justin Russo (David Henrie) as he’s embraced a regular mortal life with his wife and two kids. But when his sister Alex (Selena Gomez) introduces him to wizard-in-training Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) who has the potential to save the world, he is thrust back into the magical community. Pop Culture Planet’s Kristen Maldonado spoke with the cast about the new series.
David Henrie plays double duty in the series as both an executive producer and the patriarch of the Russo family as he returns to the role of Justin. “I was really trying to recreate something that we had in the old show for a new generation,” he said. “I was like how can we make a show that can give a big warm hug to the original fan, but at the same time make that hug also an invitation to recreate an experience they might have had when they were a kid watching the show with one of their parents.”
“Hopefully the original fan watching will grab a one of their kids or a niece or a nephew or a little cousin or someone they're babysitting and recreate that special experience,” Henrie continued. “[If] they want to watch it on their own, that's totally fine too, but I really was focused on trying to give that person a big old hug but also invite in a whole new generation to experience the magic and the love of the Russo family in a whole new way.”
Henrie called it “easy” to return to the role of Justin. “I kind of am Justin in real life. I'm also a father, I also have kids. I care about rules, respect, discipline, order, hard work, doing things well. So it's been easy,” he shared. “Basically I am Justin Russo. When I play him it's just like on 10 cups of coffee. It's just a bigger energy.”
He found that Justin’s character really served well for fatherhood. “He's always taken life seriously. He's always loved teaching. He's loved helping others, so I think he was always meant for fatherhood. I think his dream was always to be a husband and a father, except now in this new season there's been some things that have happened in the past,” revealed Henrie. “There's some tragic moments in his career that have made this first season for him what I call ‘the rebirth.’ He's rediscovering parts of his past that he missed a little bit. He didn't even know it, but he missed so this first season is a wonderful way for his family to learn about him and for him to come clean with his family about who he really is.”
When it comes to Justin’s kids, they have different takes on learning about the existence of the magical world. “Roman and Milo are definitely being thrown into situations that they've never experienced before,” said Alkaio Thiele. “Roman doesn't love it. He wants things to be kind of the same all the time so when Billie comes along and starts in magical chaos he doesn't really know how to react. He's trying to navigate these new situations.
“I think it's the same with Milo, except he kind of really enjoys it,” Max Matenko shared. “I think he's always believed in magic and all this like crazy stuff that's going on — monsters, everything — and I feel like he kind of enjoys all the excitement in his life.”
When it comes to the magical effects that the show is known for, Janice LeAnn Brown called getting used to it “a little awkward.” “I remember Miss Selena [Gomez] telling me, ‘Yeah, it's going to be a little awkward at first, but then the wand will turn into your best friend. I even named the wand Bobby. I have a name for my wand,” she revealed, adding that she has a new location for her wand too: “Obviously, I think we all know that iconic wand in boot that Alex has. I put my wand in my sleeve sometimes. The wand is definitely becoming my best friend just like she said, so it's super fun.”
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place even brought on two Disney icons to direct episodes — That’s So Raven star Raven-Symoné and Boy Meets World’s Danielle Fishel. “Getting to work with those two was great. I had a relationship with Raven for many years. I did That’s So Raven with her when I was a kid, so I had known her. I'd never met Danielle before and I loved her character Topanga growing up, so that was a special one for me. Just getting to see her surpass my already high expectations was so lovely. She really does have a class, have a style, and also she brings a lot to the table as an actor as well. Getting to work with an actor-director like that was everything you hope for ‘cause she's empowering, she's caring, she's sensitive. She knows what she's doing and she'd get in there with you as an actor and block things with you or hold props or work it out in her head, so you really feel like you're working with a peer. I was so happy to get to work with her.”
Meanwhile Raven-Symoné introduced the young cast to acting methods they’d never heard of that really served them well throughout the season. “Raven, she was so helpful in terms of acting and keeping rhythm. She had strategies and methods that I’d never thought of, never heard of before, and we all still use them in these episodes. Her advice was so valuable that it's really elevated my performance,” said Thiele, with Brown adding: “She had a lot of wisdom to give us because she was in it for so long. Honestly I learned a lot from her. There were things that I haven't even heard of that she said that actually kind of worked for me too.
Brown continued: “Then Miss Danielle, she was just such an angel and she was so sweet. She was so funny. [A] very classy, lovely woman. She had also a lot of wisdom and advice to give us that I think really stuck with me as well. She was just such a great person to work with and I would hope that we would get to work with her again. It was just such an honor to have her.”
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place debuts October 29 on DIsney+ and Disney Channel.
