Selena Gomez made an appearance on Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise‘s new Wizards of Waverly Place podcast, and she had nothing but good things to say about her experience working on the Disney Channel show. Selena talked about how much the people she worked with on the show still mean to her, which made David — who played Selena’s TV dad, Jerry Russo — get emotional. “I can’t imagine it any other way,” Selena said while reflecting on Wizards. “I remember being nervous, but as long as David was there, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m good.’ Little did I know, I ended up with everyone I needed to be in my life,” she said.
Selena explained that she “felt safe” while filming Wizards thanks to the cast and crew of the show. “I know you guys love me for me. You guys genuinely loved me. That’s all I could have asked for,” Selena said. “The unconditional trust and bond we have, I miss so much.”
David, 51, got choked up about Selena’s kind words and asked for some tissues in the podcast studio. Jennifer, 30, who played Selena’s TV BFF Harper Finkle on the show, explained “what was so special” about Wizards. “That was an experience and a special time in all our lives that we’ll all share,” Jennifer said. “We don’t have that with anyone else.”
Selena agreed with her former co-star about their experience on Wizards. “I have to say the same. I’m so lucky and grateful that I get to be apart of all these other projects,” the Only Murders in the Building star said. “But I tell people all the time, I’ve never had that feeling with the whole ‘Wizards’ crew,” Selena added. “Not just you guys.”
David said, “To know that then is what made it so special. We really were a family. Even though we aren’t blood related, I feel really close to you guys. We experienced something that is very rare in this business that you get to bond with people like that.”
Selena played Alex Russo on Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 to 2012. Selena’s become one of the most famous women in the world, but she still keeps in touch with her Wizards family. After the release of the pop star’s Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind + Me in November, Jennifer praised Selena for her openness and vulnerability in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife.
“I think this documentary is something we all need right now. I think we all need just people to be honest about their experiences,” Jennifer said. “Especially in this social media world we live in, I think we’re all a little burned out from the ‘picture perfect,’ ‘everything’s great’ aspect of it all. I just applaud the position that she’s in, being comfortable with that level of vulnerability. I think it’s something I really respect about her.”