Before Selena Gomez landed the lead role on Disney Channel’s “Wizards of Waverly Place,” she filmed pilots for spinoffs of two of the network’s most popular shows: “Lizzie McGuire” and “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.”
In a new interview with Jake Shane on his “Therapuss” podcast, Gomez reflected on her rise to fame as a teen after being featured on “Barney & Friends” as a child.
More from Variety
Midjourney Says Disney Cannot Prevent AI Training and Wants to ‘Have It Both Ways’
Disney Boss Bob Iger Says ‘Creating New IP’ Is of ‘Great Value’ but There’s No ‘Priority’ Among Sequels, Remakes and Originals: Just ‘Great Movies’
Disney Store Unveils Halloween Villains Collection, Featuring Maleficent, Ursula, Hades, Scar and More
“It was actually a weird thing because I was on three pilots for the Disney Channel: one was the spinoff of ‘Lizzie McGuire,’ one was the spinoff of ‘The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’ and the last one was ‘Wizards,’” she said. “So by then, all of them didn’t get picked up and I was just kind of at my wits’ end, but not in a bad way. I just kind of thought, ‘OK, well this is not going to work out.’”
It’s true: in 2005, Gomez was set to star in the “Lizzie McGuire” spinoff “What’s Stevie Thinking?” as Stephanie “Stevie” Sanchez, the younger sister of Lalaine Vergara-Paras’ character Miranda. However, Disney Channel didn’t end up airing the show. Then in 2007, she was cast in “Arwin!,” which would have focused on “Suite Life’s” lovable janitor played by Brian Stepanek and his kids. That also didn’t get picked up. But later that year, at 15 years old, she landed the role of Alex Russo in “Wizards,” and as she told Shane, “my whole life changed after that.”
“It was an immediate feeling of, ‘Oh, I achieved my dream’ at that point in time,” Gomez said. “I was such a huge fan of the channel. I was a huge fan of what they did for our generation, and it was an honor. I wear it proudly. I definitely am not ashamed of being part of the Disney high school experience.”
However, Gomez also reflected on child stardom and how it affected her to grow up in the spotlight, where her personal life was increasingly dissected in the tabloids. Though she’s since limited her circle and now prefers to keep things private, Gomez told Shane that it was — and still is — difficult to deal with the “outside noise.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to do that to someone, especially even in their early 20s,” she said of the media scrutiny. “That’s why there’s that whole thing about child stars, and it’s scary because you don’t let the people live their life. You don’t let them become adults in a way that’s exciting or healthy or inviting. They’re just nailing down every wrong thing, and you’re just figuring out life.”
Now that “Wizards of Waverly Place” has been rebooted as “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” and renewed for a second season, Gomez — who appeared in two episodes of Season 1 and serves as an executive producer — added that she strives to look out for the young actors on the show.
“I look at them and I think, ‘OK, make sure you go and be a kid and do the things you want to do,’” she said. “I believe anyone can follow their dream at any age, but making sure that you have a balance of normality and stability is so crucial to growing up. And whether that was given to me in certain times or not, I just stopped trying to impress people.”
Watch Gomez’s full interview on “Therapuss” below.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
What’s Coming to Disney+ in August 2025
What’s Coming to Netflix in August 2025
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
