00:00We are here with the iconic David Henry
00:03to talk all things Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
00:05And, I mean, I was telling you on your way in here,
00:07I grew up on Wizards of Waverly Place,
00:09one of my favorite shows of all time.
00:10So it's so fun that you guys did this reboot,
00:14and I can't get enough of it.
00:15What's it been like to reprise your role
00:17as Justin Russo now for two seasons?
00:19It's full circle and meaningful.
00:22My relationship with Selina has always just been
00:25very personal and just a friendship.
00:28We haven't really done any business.
00:32And over the years, we just hung out, we talked.
00:34It came about very organically.
00:36There was no pressure.
00:37We just realized enough time had passed.
00:39I'd gotten married in my personal life.
00:41I started having children.
00:42And the more Selina and I would hang out,
00:45and she'd hang out with my wife, too,
00:47the more we kept talking about the show.
00:50And then it just started to take form.
00:51And it just very organically, it was like,
00:53why don't we go talk to Disney about this?
00:55Like, enough time has passed.
00:56And the thing that motivates her and I
00:58is the heart of the show,
00:59the familial themes and values.
01:02The format of the sitcom, we loved that.
01:04We didn't want to do some edgy,
01:06like, single cam reprisal of the show.
01:08We genuinely wanted to represent the sitcom
01:10in a whole new way, hug the original fan,
01:12let them know we love them, appreciate them,
01:14but invite that person to bring in
01:16a new generation as well.
01:18That was really important to us.
01:19The sitcom's format is problem and solution.
01:22It's a good thing for the world.
01:23There's a chaotic, comedic, weird thing
01:26that happens in the beginning,
01:27and then it works out in the end.
01:29And, you know, those are good messages
01:30to have in the world and have in society,
01:31especially now.
01:32And we felt like timing was right.
01:35We did it.
01:36And thankfully, the response has been wonderful.
01:38You know, I also love your friendship with Selena.
01:40I know you were just talking about her
01:41and she just got married.
01:43Were you there to celebrate the big day?
01:45So, heartbreakingly, I have to tell you,
01:47I wasn't able to go.
01:48Oh, no.
01:48I'm announcing a project soon.
01:50I couldn't get back for it,
01:52but I gave her my best advice.
01:54You know, we've talked a lot about this over the years.
01:56And the best advice that I got at my wedding
01:58was just take a minute or two with your wife,
02:01hold hands, and, like, take in the room.
02:03Soak in the room, take mental pictures,
02:04just, like, soak it up.
02:05Because there's so much going on in your wedding day.
02:07So much going on.
02:08So people on the Internet have been speculating
02:11that Alex is Billie's mom.
02:14What can you say about that theory?
02:15I will say you're asking the right questions.
02:19These are questions that we're very aware of
02:21and we're going to explore very deeply.
02:23And there's some Easter eggs and some reveals and things
02:25that you won't catch until a second time.
02:26So I will say we give an answer to that question this season.
02:31And there is one Easter egg in particular
02:34that gives a huge tell into Alex's backstory.
02:38Because everyone's like,
02:39what happened to Alex from the end of the original show
02:41to the beginning of this new show over a decade has passed?
02:44And there's a huge little Easter egg.
02:47It's a little prop that's in the scene.
02:50I'm not going to say where it is
02:52or if it's on someone or what it is,
02:53but there's something that on a second viewing,
02:56you see it and you go,
02:58that tells me everything.
03:00Oh, very interesting.
03:01It's very intentionally planted.
03:03I'm like, can we get the spoiler side now?
03:05Now I feel like I need to know.
03:06So in this scene, we flash back
03:08and we learn that Selena is the parent to Billy
03:12because we see Billy Little as a little girl.
03:15We brought in a different actress that played little Billy.
03:17And you hear that little actress say mommy to Selena's character
03:21and we're outside of WizTech.
03:22In the scene, you learn that Selena is protecting
03:26little Billy from herself.
03:30And so she does a memory erase spell
03:32because they need to distance themselves from one another
03:35to protect the girl.
03:36So she drops her off at school, erases everyone's memories.
03:39It's a tear-felt goodbye moment.
03:41Everyone's crying and then they part ways.
03:43There's someone out there trying to find you
03:45and I can't let that happen, okay?
03:49I love you more than anything.
03:52I love you, mom.
03:56Upon second viewing, you'll see that Selena has a wedding ring on
03:59and that she was married.
04:02And so she wiped her memories,
04:03which means she no longer knows that she's married.
04:06Her husband also, there's something there too.
04:09So now for this next season,
04:11we get to explore who's her husband
04:12and where is he?
04:14Wait, she got married.
04:16Huh?
04:16What's going on?
04:18So we allude to this, you know,
04:20love story that happened back in the day
04:22except now they've forgotten each other.
04:23So there's going to be a lot to explore
04:26in the third season.
04:27Chills, I have chills.
04:27Also, who did she marry, you know?
04:30Who are we going to cast for that?
04:32Oh my gosh, wow.
04:33That's really cool.
04:34And now when you guys were,
04:36I'm sure a lot of it was writers too,
04:38but when you guys were coming up
04:39with that kind of storyline,
04:41how did that come to be?
04:42Did you always know
04:43that Selena was going to be?
04:45Really?
04:46My wife came up with it.
04:47Really?
04:47Yeah.
04:48Because I talked to her about everything, right?
04:49You know, you get back at the end of the day,
04:51you're sitting in bed and you're like,
04:52you know, you talk to your wife about stuff.
04:54And I was telling her about the scenes coming up
04:56and I was excited about it,
04:57the big reveal, da-da-da-da-da.
04:59We were just thinking of like,
05:00what juicy stuff could we add in there?
05:02Because we're shooting it the next day.
05:03I was like, what little things could we add in there?
05:05And she goes,
05:05what about if she's wearing a wedding ring?
05:07And I was like,
05:08that's epic, fans are going to flip.
05:09Like, who's your husband?
05:10What happened?
05:11Da-da-da-da-da.
05:11So I went in the next morning
05:13and I went to the prop department and everyone
05:14and I was like,
05:15we need to get a wedding ring on Selena.
05:18And it was perfect
05:19because she's getting married to Benny
05:20and it like parallels her life in a fun way.
05:23So here's my wife.
05:25And you're also making
05:25your directorial debut this season.
05:28Tell me a bit about that.
05:29That's so exciting.
05:29That was so cool for me
05:30because I've directed Single Cam before.
05:32I just directed a film called Monster Summer,
05:34which is a big movie
05:35with Kevin James and Mel Gibson
05:37and Lorraine Bracco.
05:38And so I come from doing a single cam feature film
05:40to now suddenly there's four cameras
05:42and you don't really move the cameras
05:45like you do in a single cam.
05:46You're not focusing on one specific moment.
05:48You're shooting like a moving play.
05:51So it's a totally different skill set,
05:53but I'd done it for so long
05:54that I was very familiar with it.
05:57And I added little things
06:00that I wanted as an actor.
06:02So I treated everyone in a way
06:03that I would want to be treated.
06:05What motivates me the most
06:06about directing is the story.
06:08And in that episode in particular,
06:10it's a wonderful found family story
06:12around Christmas
06:13because a lot of people
06:14who don't have biological families
06:16can feel lonely on Christmas
06:17or if you've been adopted.
06:20There are certain emotions
06:23that might arise on Christmas.
06:24And this episode in particular
06:26speaks directly to that person
06:27who might feel lonely on Christmas.
06:29And there's a really wonderful,
06:30kind ending that I cannot wait
06:34for people to see
06:34that really excited me as a filmmaker
06:36because I got to add in
06:38little single camera things
06:40at the end there
06:40to make it feel a little more nostalgic
06:43and a little more heartfelt and warm.
06:45And I think it's a special episode.
06:47I'm excited for people to see it.
06:48It's the only Christmas episode
06:50we've ever done.
06:50I would love to see the show
06:51go on for so many more seasons.
06:53We've already kind of hinted
06:54where season three could go.
06:56Is that something
06:57you're hopeful for as well?
07:00Absolutely.
07:00Yes.
07:01Amen.
07:01My, Selina and I basically,
07:03I think from day one,
07:06wanted to do this,
07:07want to do this show
07:08as long as we possibly can
07:10because the story never gets old.
07:12You know,
07:13the story of telling family
07:14in new,
07:15representing family themes
07:17and new ways never gets old.
07:19Yeah.
07:20And we'll do it
07:21as long as people keep watching.
07:22Okay.
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