‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ Sprinkles Magical Character Growth Among its Actors

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place has shown a beautiful camaraderie between the cast of the Russo family throughout Season 2. We had a chance to chat with stars David Henrie and Janice LeAnn Brown to get a glimpse of how the show has shaped their relationships and what we can expect during the rest of the season.

Season 1 of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place introduced viewers to newcomer Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), a young and powerful wizard in need of formal training from original cast member Justin (David Henrie). After eventually admitting to his wife and kids that he not only is a wizard, but was fired from being a wizard instructor, he leads his two sons Roman (Alkaio Thiele) and Milo (Max Matenko) along with Billie through learning spells and defeating a variety of monsters along the way.

(Disney/Eric McCandless)JANICE LEANN BROWN, DAVID HENRIE

Now that we’re in the middle of Season 2, we see Billie settling into living with the Russos and honing her magical skills. Justin is learning to balance his praise and teaching techniques as the three young wizards continue with their lessons, both in wizardry and at school. Overall, there’s a noticeable shift in the ease with which we see the characters being portrayed onscreen.

When speaking with David about how being a parent has informed his character approach, he candidly opened up about his experience so far: “There’s a lot of moments that happen on set where I feel like, oh she’s my daughter. Or I have this feeling of like I’m looking at someone like my daughter.” As for the character of Billie, we see her in a way that’s motivated by more confidence and self-assuredness, compared to Season 1 when she was very much trying to prove herself in sometimes detrimental ways. “I’m actually taking a lot from Billie and kind of putting it into myself,” said Janice. “But I think the biggest thing I’m taking from her is her confidence.”

Later this season, we’ll not only be watching the series’ first-ever Christmas episode, but David will also be behind the camera as that episode’s director. For more about what David and Janice have to share about Season 2, watch our full interview below.