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Selena Gomez and David Henrie on Returning to 'Wizards of Waverly Place'

Posted on by Kennedy
Selena Gomez and David Henrie on Returning to 'Wizards of Waverly Place'

More than a decade after their time The Wizards of Waverly Place came to an end, Selena Gomez and David Henrie are returning to their magical roots for a sequel series.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place follows an adult Justin Russo (Henrie) who has chosen to live a normal, mortal life with his family; That is, until his sister Alex (Gomez) introduces him to Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), a sorceress-in-training who needs Justin's mentorship.

“It felt like going home,” Gomez said The Hollywood Reporter at the show's premiere in Los Angeles on Monday. “It was so funny because when I showed it to my mom she literally died laughing. She says, ‘You two just still have it.’ Because I think we express that to each other.”

In addition to their on-screen appearances, both Gomez and Henrie serve as executive producers of the series, passing on their own experiences as child actors to the next generation.

“We've both been doing this for a long time, and I think we try to bring our best experiences to work with young people – especially children – so it's very important to me to help create an atmosphere that suits them are the best they can be at this moment,” explained Henrie. “And it’s been wonderful, we’ve cast some really talented kids and they’ve just gotten better and better.”

In support of the young cast, Gomez added: “I think the only thing I can offer is the love and support that they will need during this time because hopefully it is a life-changing experience.”

The couple also spoke about their long-standing friendship The Wizards of Waverly Place began airing when Gomez was 15 and Henrie was 18.

“I think it's so important for me to have someone in my life who has known me before,” Gomez said of their relationship. “Most of my friends are definitely people that I seem to love and trust, but David was there when I first experienced something like fame and I think he saw through that and will continue to see through it . He’ll tell me the truth, and I like that.”

Henrie reiterated, “We've been friends for a long time, and when you're friends before big events happen, I think there's this meaningful memory that you know about each other,” as Gomez teased, “He stays with me.”

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premieres Tuesday on Disney Channel and will be available on Disney+ Wednesday.

Tiffany Taylor contributed to this report.

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