How Selena Gomez and David Henrie guided the cast of the New Wizards

Selena Gomez And David Henry have officially passed the torch – ahem, magic wand – to a brand new generation of wizards.

Gomez, 32, and Henrie, 35, will reprise their film Wizards of Waverly Place roles in the upcoming Disney Channel and Disney+ revival, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. The series opens with an adult – and powerless – Justin Russo (Henrie) as his sister, Alex Russo (Gomez), enlists his help to train a powerful young wizard, Billie.Janice LeAnn Brown).

Not only does Gomez play a mentor figure to her character, but Brown shares this exclusively We weekly that she has learned “a lot” from the star behind the scenes. “I think the most important thing was not to let anyone block my sunlight and just stay true to myself,” she said. “And it doesn’t really matter what other people say about me because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what I say to myself when I look in the mirror and make sure I say positive. things about myself, instead of negative.”

Mimi Gianopuloswho plays Justin’s wife Giada, admitted she was “nervous” about working with Gomez, but her attitude quickly changed. “She was the most relatable, wonderful, kind, sweet woman [person]”, she said Usnoting that it was “so sweet” to see Gomez and Henrie working together twelve years after the end of the original series.

“I’m coming into this as a new person and I felt so welcome and really included in the family,” Gianopulos, 35, said. “They really set a tone of kindness and joy on set. It’s so great.”

Alkaio Thielewho plays Justin and Giada’s eldest son, Roman Us Gomez was a “valuable resource” on set, saying, “She’s been through this, she knows what it’s like, and she and David are both working to make this the best experience possible because they’ve done this before.”

He added: “They had their ups and downs, they had things that worked and things that didn’t work, and they want all that great stuff in our show and all that not-so-great stuff, they want to keep us away from that. And I think it’s really sweet that they did that together, that they worked together to make it the best possible place for us to work.”

Max Matenkowho plays Justin and Giada’s youngest child, Milo, agreed with his on-screen brother’s comments, calling Gomez a “great mentor.” He told it Us: “She says, ‘If you have any problems, just call me.’ … She’s so humble and she’s kind of teaching me what I should be like if I ever become a famous actor, hopefully. And I just think she’s the best.”

Related: Cast of ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’: Where Are They Now?

Selena Gomez scored her breakout role as teenage wizard Alex Russo in Disney Channel’s Wizards of Waverly Place. The series, which ran for four seasons from 2007 to 2012, followed Alex and her brothers, Justin and Max, played by David Henrie and Jake T. Austin, as they learned the ins and outs of the wizard. […]

Creating a safe environment for the show’s younger stars is something Taylor Corawho plays Billie and Roman’s friend, said this was of utmost importance to the show’s crew, especially Henrie, who serves as executive producer alongside Gomez.

“Towards the beginning of production, the entire cast sat down and the showrunners, Jed [Elinoff] And Scott [Thomas]and I remember we just had a conversation about, ‘We have to work harder so we can make a show.’ And I remember David talking about his own experiences, you know, from the original show,” Cora shared. “And I remember him saying he was afraid to ask for help because he didn’t want to seem like he didn’t know what he was doing. But from him I learned that it’s okay not to know what you’re doing, as long as you ask for help so that you can eventually figure it out.”

Taylor Cora, Alkaio Thiele and Janice Leann Brown in ‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’

Through the new series, Henrie said Us he hopes to not only recapture the magic of the original show, but also give “a big warm hug” to longtime fans. “Over the years, Selena and I have encountered so many fans around the world and their parents who said our show meant so much to them,” he explained. “It was there for them when they needed it. It was there for them, in some cases, at a dark place in their lives, and really gave them a much-needed dose of humor and heart. So it has really made a difference in the lives of many people around the world.”

The first two episodes of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premieres on Disney Channel Tuesday, October 29 at 8pm ET. The first eight episodes will be available to stream on Disney+ the next day, Wednesday, October 30.