‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ Stars Talk Series Finale, Prequel Ideas & Potential Alex-Damien Spinoff

Janice LeAnn Brown and Brandon Michael Hall only met this year on the set of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, but they developed a close bond quickly. The actors play daughter and dad in Season 3, and they felt like they were actually family.

Brown plays Billie, the troubled wizard who went to live with the Russos in Season 1. At the end of Season 2, she discovered that Alex Russo (Selena Gomez) is actually her mom. Alex cast a spell on her and her family after she sent her away to boarding school when he father, Damien Penwulf (Hall), got sent to the wizard prison, Wizcatraz.

Season 3 focuses on Billie trying to get her mom back since she jumped into a portal in Season 2 and no one knows where she went. To do this, Billie has to find her dad and reunite her family. Once Billie and Justin (David Henrie) break Damien out of Wizcatraz, they set their sights on finding Alex.

Alex, it turns out, is stuck in a dream world, where she met up with her best friend, Harper (Jennifer Stone), and ex-boyfriend, Mason (Gregg Sulkin). Mason sent her back after he revealed that he had died.

Justin found Alex in another realm and saved her from Damien’s father, Nicodemus. They both jumped through another portal, conjured by the Russo kids, and landed back at the house.

In the end, everyone was reunited, the Penwulfs went back to the wizard world, and they ended their adventures back at Waverly Place.

Disney/Bahare Ritter

Brandon, what was it like coming into an iconic series at the end and playing such an important role?

Brandon Michael Hall: It was amazing. I don’t think there is a word beyond just thankful and grateful to be a part of something that has stood the test of time for so long with an amazing cast and crew. It’s a dream. It was a dream. It was great.

Janice, I noticed in this last season that you emulated Alex a bit. Did you do that on purpose, especially since you found out she was your mom?

Janice LeAnn Brown: Honestly, I feel like it just came naturally. I didn’t know that she was going to be my mom until the week that we were going to shoot the episode that we found out. It just came naturally. I think when you spend a lot of time with a character, you start to add more to them. It just kind of happened. In a way, it was destined. I always had a feeling, but that was my confirmation.

Did you know going into the series that this is how Billie’s story would end up?

Brown: No! I actually didn’t. I had no idea how it was going to play out. I did not know that I was going to be a biological Russo. My thought process was that at the end I’m going to get adopted by them, or something like that.

I had no idea it was going to play out the way it did. I’m just so grateful that it did. I feel like it wa meant to be. I’m really happy with how it played out.

Would you guys be open to doing a spinoff with Billie, Damien, and Alex in the wizard world now that they are all reunited?

Brown: Heck yeah!

Hall: Absolutely. No questions asked. [laughs]

What do you think they would get up to in the spinoff? 

Hall: I think a lot of adventures!

Brown: For sure! I’d love to see the dynamic for sure. We didn’t get to see as much in the end. We got to see them reunited, but I would love to see the dynamics in the Penwulf household. I think that would be really cool to see. I would love to see Billie have a sibling.

Hall: That would be cool.

Brown: I would love to see the wizard competition. I don’t know if they do cousins.

Hall: A family reunion wizard competition

Brown: Yes! That’d be so much fun!

What about a prequel series?

Hall: Oooh, like how it all got here?

Yeah, like why Damien went to prison and everything.

Brown: I’m really curious about that.

Hall: They gave it in the backstory. I don’t know if I’m allowed to tell what specifically happened, but it was cut from some of the lines. But the breakdown of Damien, they told me why he ended up in prison. But it’s a good story. A lot of honor and care for his family; put it that way, for the reason why he had to go away.

What was it like to have Selena Gomez direct this season?

Brown: Wow! It genuinely felt like an honor, especially because it was her directing debut. It was pretty cool. She was so sweet. She’s been in our shoes before. She knew exactly how to talk to us. She made it super fun. She was so patient. She was just a big ball of energy and giggles. I was so proud of her. You would think that she had already done it before.

Anytime that we would mess up a line or anything, she was so sweet. She’d be like, “It’s okay. It’s okay. Don’t worry, sweetheart.” She was so nice, and I really do want to see her direct more projects because she did so great on the episode she directed.

Are you guys Team Alex and Mason or Alex and Damien?

Hall: Alex and Damien

Brown: I’m Alex and Damien, all the way.

Hall: I’m her dad.

Brown: Exactly! I never was a Mason fan. I liked Dean better for her. I’m with my dad on this one.

We saw in the season that Billie gave up her powers. They happened to be transferred into Winter, where every time she sneezed, she multiplied. If you guys had magic, would you want to multiply, or what would you want the power to be? 

Hall: That’s always a good question.

Brown: I say telekinesis all the time, but I think I would really like to fly. Explore a little bit.

Hall: I would want a ridiculously high IQ or intelligence, so I could figure out how to do all of the other superpowers. I would go the Tony Stark route.

What are you most excited for fans to see this season?

Hall: Off the top, Janice is going to be amazing this season. She eats every episode. I think that is something I’m extremely excited about.

Brown: I’m actually really excited for them to see our dynamic.

Hall: It was so fun. We had a great time.

Brown: We had great chemistry. We actually didn’t have a chemistry read, and you would think that we did. It just felt meant to be. I really felt like he was my father, like I’m on set with my dad.

Hall: But, truly, it trickles down from number one. I could tell from the first day on set that the environment, the energy, the love that everyone had was real. It’s very palpable. I’m very excited for fans to see the dynamic of everyone together, as well as watching Janice eat in every episode.

Brown: Thank you!

Any final thoughts or anything you want to say about the season? 

Hall: I think people are going to be really inspired by this last season. I think it brings not only the nostalgic nature of where this show comes from, but it also brings in this new wave of energy, which people can also relate to.

It’s sad that it’s going to be the last season. I hope that there is a prequel or a sequel or something, but what Disney is going to bring to the audience is exactly the perfect ode to the end of this series.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Season 3, now streaming, Disney+