Selena Gomez Says She’s ‘Done Playing’ Alex Russo After ‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ Finale: ‘This Is the End’
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Selena Gomez has described herself as "done playing" Alex Russo, the character she has portrayed since 2007, following the release of the four-part finale of "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place" on Disney+ on 4 August. The spin-off draws a line under a role that began on the original "Wizards of Waverly Place", which ran for four seasons before ending in 2012 and which Gomez later revived with co-star David Henrie. Speaking in an Entertainment Tonight special released the same day, she called the moment "surreal" and said she hoped the show would encourage audiences to rediscover family television.
Gomez also made her directorial debut on the finale's third instalment, which saw Jennifer Stone return as fan-favourite Harper Finkle after sitting out the spin-off's first two seasons; Stone said filming with Gomez again felt like "saying goodbye to your teenage self". Since the original series propelled her to stardom, Gomez has built a successful music career, notching 46 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including the 2019 number one "Lose You to Love Me", and released a new single, "Te Olvido (La La)", with husband Benny Blanco and Becky G in late July.
- Gomez calls time on Alex Russo after Wizards Beyond Waverly Place finale
- Four-part finale premiered on Disney+ on 4 August
- Gomez directed part three; Jennifer Stone returned as Harper Finkle
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Selena Gomez is one of the biggest names to emerge from children's television, having played the witch Alex Russo on Disney Channel's "Wizards of Waverly Place" from 2007, before the show ended in 2012. She went on to build a major career as a singer and actress, while the original series became a beloved part of many young viewers' childhoods. A spin-off, "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place", later brought her back to the role alongside original co-star David Henrie.
That spin-off has now reached its conclusion with a four-part finale on Disney+, closing out a character Gomez has played on and off for nearly two decades. The finale also marked her first time directing an episode, and brought back Jennifer Stone as fellow original cast member Harper Finkle, who had been absent from the spin-off's earlier seasons.
The story matters because it marks the end of an era for a show and character closely tied to Gomez's rise to fame, and reflects the broader trend of Disney reviving old franchises for new audiences while giving original stars a chance to revisit, and formally close, roles from their youth.
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