Where are the cast of Wizards of Waverly Place now? From quitting acting to becoming a music superstar
WIZARDS of Waverly Place launched on Disney Channel in 2007 – making lead Selena Gomez into a star.
More than a decade after the 2012 finale, the beloved Russo family are returning for more magical mayhem and misadventures.
A sequel series titled Wizards Beyond Waverly Place launched on Disney Channel on October 29.
It follows the returning Justin Russo (David Henrie), now a mortal, as he trains a powerful new wizard student named Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown).
Former co-stars Selena and David are both executive producers on the new show.
Of course, the enduring success wouldn’t have been possible without the original cast.
Let’s see what they got up to after time their in Wizards ended.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez played Alex Russo, the lead character and middle child in the family of Russo wizards.
The character became well-known for being rebellious and brave – while often times also lazy and inconsiderate.
After Wizards’ run, Selena and the majority of the cast returned a year later for a TV movie titled Alex vs Alex.
She went on to film roles in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, The Fundamentals of Caring, The Dead Don’t Die and Émilia Pérez.
Meanwhile, since 2021, Selena’s had had a lead role as Mabel in hit Hulu mystery-drama Only Murders in the Building.
She stars opposite comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short, who play Charles and Oliver respectively.
In addition, Selena’s enjoyed success on the music side of her career.
Altogether, she’s released three solo albums, one compilation album, three EPs, 36 singles, three promotional singles and two charity singles.
Selena has been in a relationship with record producer Benny Blanco since 2023.
David Henrie
On Wizards, David, now 35, played Alex’s studious and by-the-book older brother Justin Russo.
This time around, however, David will be taking a lead role in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
It marks his first time returning to play Justin – having been absent from the aforementioned Alex vs Alex.
David has since appeared in films including Growns Ups 2, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, Little Boy and the upcoming biographical drama Raegan.
He also wrote, directed and had a supporting role in 2020’s This Is The Year; younger brother Lorenzo played lead character Josh in that film.
In 2017, David married Maria Cahill – and they now have three children together.
Jake T. Austin
Jake T. Austin – who was the voice of Diego in Go, Diego, Go! – played Max Russo, the youngest sibling.
Often known for his unintelligent behaviour, Max also surprised and impressed when it counted.
After Wizards, Jake landed a leading role as Jesus Foster in Freeform family drama The Fosters.
However, he left the role after two years and was replaced by Noah Centineo.
Jake’s post Wizards film work includes The Emoji Movie, Adverse, Grantham and Rose and The Valley.
In 2016, he competed in Dancing with the Stars but was first to be eliminated.
Jennifer Stone
Jennifer Stone portrayed Harper Finkle, Alex’s quirky friend who was initially unaware of the family’s secret.
The character became even more involved after moving in with the Russos.
Since her time on Wizards, Jennifer went on to train and become a registered nurse.
Her time in nursing school concluded in December 2019 – just as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning.
Since 2023, Jennifer and former co-star David DeLuise have co-hosted rewatch podcast Wizards of Waverly Pod.
The format sees the pair revisit and discuss episodes of their show – while conducting interviews with various guests.
In a February 2023 episode, Jennifer revealed how she’d originally auditioned to play Alex, rather than Harper.
She said: “I came out to audition for Alex, then at the last minute they handed me the Harper sides.”
Maria Canals-Barrera
Maria Canals-Barrera played Theresa Russo, the mortal matriarch of the show’s core family.
The actress has been working consistently since Wizards, with notable roles in animation.
This includes “Sunset Boulevardez” in The Proud Family: Louder and Louder.
She also voiced Bianca Reyes in TV movie Teen Titans: The Judas Contract.
Maria’s TV guest appearances include The Big Bang Theory, Last Man Standing, Fuller House and The Morning Show.
Meanwhile, she reminisced on her time playing Teresa when guesting on Wizards of Waverly Pod.
Selena Gomez's career so far
By Conor O’Brien
Actress, singer, producer and businesswoman Selena Gomez has had a career spanning over two decades.
With success both on-screen and in music, she’s become a household name worldwide.
Here is a look back at some of Selena’s past projects.
- Barney & Friends (2002-2004): Early in her career, Selena appeared in two seasons of the fan favourite kids’ show. She played the role of “Gianna”, one of the titular dinosaur’s many friends. One of Selena’s co-stars was fellow future Disney star Demi Lovato.
- Wizards of Waverly Place (2007-2012): Selena played the lead role of Alex Russo throughout this show’s run. Alex was secretly a teenage wizard in training – but was also lazy, reckless and irresponsible. Joined by brothers Justin (David Henrie) and Max (Jake T. Austin), the three often found themselves in outlandish situations and problems. Selena reprised this role for a TV movie in 2013 and returns to the character again in sequel series Alex vs Alex.
- 13 Reasons Why (2017 to 2020): Although Selena didn’t appear in this Netflix show, she was one of its executive producers. The show itself starred Dylan Minnette and Katherine Langford in lead roles.
- Only Murders in the Building (2021 – present): Created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, this Hulu mystery comedy-drama follows a trio of strangers with a shared interest in true crime podcasts. Together, they investigate a succession of murders in their affluent Upper West Side building. Selena plays “Mabel”, a young artist living in her aunt’s unit. Co-creator Steve Martin and fellow comedy legend Martin Short round out the core trio.
As a musician, Selena has released three studio albums that debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
She was formerly the vocalist for now-defunct pop rock band Selena Gomez & The Scene.
Meanwhile, her other achievements include being named as Woman of the Year (2017) – and appearing in the likes of the Time 100 and Forbes 30 under 30.
David DeLuise
The son of actor Dom DeLuise, David grew up in showbusiness long before taking on the role of patriarch Jerry Russo.
A former wizard who gave up his powers to marry Theresa, Jerry went on to train his three children in magic.
As mentioned, David has been co-hosting Wizards of Waverly Pod as of 2023.
On the acting front, he has guest-starred in several TV shows since wrapping his time as Jerry.
These include NCIS, Shameless, This Is Us, That 90s Show, The Rookie and Hawaii Five-0.
In 2019, David married Julia Stoepel – he already had two children from his first marriage.