Actor and executive producer David Henrie says he wanted the sequel to The Wizards of Waverly Place to retain the magic of the 2007 to 2012 series, while also reflecting contemporary sensibilities.
New episodes of the family comedy, Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, air Friday nights on the Disney Channel. The entire series also streams on Disney+
"Having gotten to meet fans all over the world now these past 17 years, I really have heard what the show meant to them and what was important to them," Henrie, 35, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview.
"It really revolves around the sibling dynamics, the family dynamics and how we went deeper with a lot of themes where a lot of kids' shows wouldn't have gone."
The original Wizards featured writers from adult shows like Friends and Everyone Loves Raymond.
"They were writing a kids' show, yes, but they're writing a show that they would also find interesting," Henrie said. "I think that depth of storytelling really did make the first show unique."
The earlier series showed the teen Russo siblings Justin (Henrie) and Alex (Selena Gomez) learning to live responsibly with their newfound powers.
The follow-up finds Justin keeping his conjuring past from his wife, Giada (Mimi Gianopulos), and sons Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko) until Alex pops by with a new protege for Justin to train.
"So, we're bringing that spirit forward, but in an entirely new way because we have a central character in Janice LeAnn Brown," Henrie said.
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"Her character Billie is a character that doesn't trust or understand any of the values that made that first show special," he added.
"So, it's a wonderful contrasting element to have at the core of the show, because it really is a vehicle that allows us to retell family stories, and ultimately try to win this character over throughout the course of the series."
Henrie described Justin's marriage to Giada as a loving and serious relationship.
"That was an important element to me in the development of this. I didn't want their marriage to be a joke," he said.
"I wanted to show a good example of a marriage of two people who care -- who, of course, are flawed, like everyone else, and have their own issues like everyone else.
"But they are people whose heart is in the right place in regard to their marriage and their family. I didn't want a goofy, bumbling idiot, sitting on the couch, who had nothing to contribute."
The Russos' happy, stable home life is understandably upended when Alex and Billie drop by looking for magic lessons.
"I call this first season the rebirth of Justin because Billie's character really reawakens a side of him that has been cut out tragically in the past," Henrie said.
"It's a side that he kind of missed, and a side that his family may have subconsciously always known was there, but are now explicitly understanding for the first time.
"It really is a wonderful bonding element and an agent of chaos in this whole first season, but something I think everyone can relate to. Everyone has things in the past -- that maybe they hope would get brought back up again -- that they never got a chance to really complete."
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Janice, 14, said her real-life family members who grew up watching the original show were excited about her new job.
"My aunt, my uncle, my brother, they were all freaking out. They were like: 'Oh my gosh!' They're all really happy. Even my older cousin, she's super-happy for me. She was actually the first person I told," she said.
"They were all very happy for me, very supportive. I love my family. I'm very grateful for them."
Henrie said he is excited that fans of the original series might be watching the new version with children -- or even grandchildren -- of their own.
"That really is a big part of what we're trying to do here because myself and Selena, we really want this show to be a big, warm hug to the original fans, but also an invitation to a whole new generation," he said. "That co-viewing experience is just magic."
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place also brings back some of the original show's directors, including Victor Gonzalez and Jody Margolin Hahn.
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"It's been great getting to work with them again, bringing back that same loving atmosphere we had on the original that they were such an important part of," Henrie said.
Boy Meets World actress Danielle Fishell also helmed episodes.
"I loved her character, Topanga, growing up, and she exceeded my high expectations. She was so caring and warm and compassionate, and also brought the actor expertise to the table, as well," Henrie said.
"So, she was able to get in the scene with us and help us find where our character should be at any given moment. She was just the best recipe for a director."
As a former child actress, she specifically knew how to speak with the younger members of the Beyond Waverly Place ensemble.
"She's a mama herself [in real life] and you could feel that," Henrie said.
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Janice said she didn't go into starring on the show with expectations about who her castmates were or what the experience of working with them in this fictional supernatural world might be like.
"I kind of had high expectations for myself, and I was trying to push myself a lot and adding unnecessary pressure to myself for no reason," she explained.
"I was kind of hard on myself a lot ,and I think I've learned from my character, Billie, that I don't need to be perfect. Making mistakes is OK.
"Honestly, that's the beauty of acting, in my opinion. Just like her, I was not really confident in myself, but playing this character, Billie, I think is really teaching me a lot -- from confidence to realizing how to just have fun."
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