The Former Disney Costar Selena Gomez Is Still Friends With

Selena Gomez may have hung up her wand after "Wizards of Waverly Place" ended in 2012, but one friendship from her Disney days continues working its magic. David Henrie played Gomez's highly-strung older brother, Justin Russo, hailed by the show's Dumbledore-like figure as "one of the brightest students of recent times." While his character clashed with his rebellious little sister, Alex, in real life, there's been no sibling rivalry between Gomez and Henrie — just a bond that's endured like a well-cast spell.

In a 2024 interview with People, Henrie shared the secret behind how they've stayed close since the show began: "Despite all of her massive successes, her and I, our relationship has just withstood all that because [...] we're just real with each other." In fact, the two work so well together that they teamed up as producers to reboot the Disney Channel favorite for a new series called "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place." Henrie, who wrote two episodes of the original show, leapt at the chance to work with Gomez again. 

As the actor excitedly put it, they both wanted "to create something that could be a big warm hug to the original fan, but also, hopefully, invite that original fan, like us, to want to pass this on to a whole new generation." And, just like magic, everything fell into place. "It was like we hadn't missed a beat," Henrie enthused. "The energy was there, the chemistry was there, the banter, the timing, it was all there."

It's not just one co-star that holds a special place in Selena Gomez's heart either. A 2023 appearance on "Wizards of Waverly Pod," a rewatch podcast hosted by Jennifer Stone (who played quirky best friend Harper Finkle) and David DeLuise (Gomez's on-screen dad), revealed that the actor still has a lot of love for the rest of her wizarding family too. Before her breakout role in the beloved Disney show, Gomez scored guest spots on several other hits like "The Suite Life on Deck" with Dylan and Cole Sprouse, and "Hannah Montana," alongside Miley Cyrus. But when she landed "Wizards," the then-up-and-comer found something especially spellbinding. As she recalled, "We really were a family. Even though we aren't blood-related, I feel very close to you guys [...] It's very rare in this business that you get to bond with people like that."

And yet, even with the fond memories she has of the show, Gomez acknowledged some regrets. When asked about her biggest mistake, she admitted to Stone and DeLuise: "Probably not staying in touch with you guys." The "Only Murders in the Building" star has been open about her mental and physical health struggles, which naturally affected her relationships. But she made it clear that her affection for her former castmates never went away, gushing, "I appreciate you guys dearly and I love you so much, in a way that I never loved anybody else." Their friendship continues to enchant.