‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ ‘s Jennifer Stone Was Initially Meant to Audition for Selena Gomez’s Lead Role

In the first episode of their new podcast Wizards of Waverly Pod, Wizards of Waverly Place alums Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise revealed how different the show’s pilot was originally going to be

Wizard of Waverly Place was almost an entirely different show.

On the premiere episode of PodCo’s Wizards of Waverly Pod, former costars-turned-co-hosts Jennifer Stone (Harper Finkle) and David DeLuise (Jerry Russo) dished on some of the show’s behind-the-scenes casting details. In doing so, Stone revealed she was initially prepared to audition for the role of Alex, played by Selena Gomez.

“[Disney] had me come out and audition for Alex, then at the last minute they handed me the Harper slides,” Stone, 29, said. “They were like, ‘No, I think you’d be a good fit for this.'”

Added Stone, “And then I fought for it to be a series regular.”

Selena Gomez (left) and Jennifer Stone on Wizards of Waverly Place. BRUCE BIRMELIN/ DISNEY CHANNEL VIA GETTY

Stone said she was completely ready to be Alex, having “done the homework,” prepared the lines and dressed as the character. And at the last minute, she had to perform a cold read for Harper.

But Stone doesn’t regret taking on the role of Harper, adding that it was a “much better fit” for her.

“Looking back, I could have done it, but watching it back now, Selena and my dynamic, what we established with each other – I think we created something really beautiful,” she said.

DeLuise, 51, for his part, wasn’t in the cast of the original pilot, which started as The Amazing O’Malleys. In the first rendition of the show, the Russo’s iconic subway shop was not selling their famous sandwiches but was a magic shop, and Jake T. Austin — who played Alex’s goofy younger brother Max — was not in the cast either. Alex was also supposed to be twins with Justin (David Henrie), who ultimately became her older brother.

“Selena and David were twins, which I was like ‘That’s not going to work,'” Stone said. “They were huge changes, and the show was totally different.”

Though Stone found success as a series regular for the entirety of Wizards, she stepped away from acting after the show ended in 2012, with the exception of a few projects. She came back to the limelight in an unexpected way in 2020 when she revealed she graduated from nursing school the previous December and was officially a registered nurse.

At the time, Stone announced on Instagram that she was ready to take her place alongside her fellow frontline workers during the peak of the COVID pandemic.

“I just hope to live up to all of the amazing healthcare providers on the front lines now as I get ready to join them,” she captioned the April 2020 post.

As Stone ventures back into her Wizards days, she will be joined by several guests, including Gomez, herself, as her and DeLuise take a trip down memory lane, per Variety.

Source: people.com