Selena Gomez Gave Janice LeAnn Brown Some Good Advice ...

14-year-old Janice LeAnn Brown heard the news that she’d star as Billie in the new Wizards of Waverly Place spinoff of the Selena Gomez-led series when she least expected to hear it. “Am I really even going to make it as an actress?,” she repeatedly wondered to herself, at a place in her young career where she grappled with its seemingly uncertain future. “I was questioning myself and my craft, myself as a person [and] what I do and don’t deserve,” she tells Teen Vogue.

The moment she got her agent’s call confirming she landed the lead in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Brown took it as a sign to carry on. “It was a godsend opportunity, and I’m just really happy to be here,” she says, as her co-star Taylor Cora, who portrays Billie’s best friend Winter, looks on and smiles.

Talking with the two of them over Zoom, their conversational ease makes it hard to imagine they’re not just a room away from one another. In one moment, they speak using their names and those of their characters interchangeably. Though don’t be mistaken; the two teens act quite differently than those they portray. Brown’s air of introspection cannot be further from Billie’s quick-witted snark, and the effervescent Cora lacks Winter’s endearing cluelessness. Yet, like a contemporary Alex and Harper, their friendship and professional growth move seamlessly from television screen to real life.

Plenty of companionships sprout from the basis of commonality and shared interests, though Brown loves how she and Cora are “two completely different people who can also laugh at almost all the same things,” just as their characters starkly contrast one another. Cora’s character is introduced later on in the series, and when the actress arrived on set after the initial pilot filming, Brown was the first co-star she met. “She’s literally my sister,” Cora elaborates, “who really cares for me as much as I care for her.”

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, which is produced by David Henrie and Selena Gomez, premiered on October 29 on Disney Channel. It looks to an adult Justin Russo (Henrie), who foregoes the wizard world for a quiet life in Staten Island with his wife Giada (played by Mimi Gianopulos) and sons Roman and Milo (Alkaio Thiele and Max Matenko). Justin’s family has no knowledge of his wizard ancestry, but all changes once Alex unexpectedly announces herself at the doorsteps of her brother’s otherwise-orderly household, alongside rebellious wizard-in-training Billie. With initial reluctance, Justin takes Billie under his wing and into the Russo family for the greater good of the wizard world (you’ll have to watch the show to find out why). Over the course of the first season, Billie’s bond with the Russos deepens and she becomes an integral part of the pack.

“Billie is looking for acceptance in her life because she’s been rejected by so many people, and the Russos can give that to her,” Alkaio Thiele says of the lead. Having been adopted by her grandparents, Brown resonates with the character’s search for kinship across the realm of mortals. In fact, Roman is initially Winter’s only friend until Billie comes along and upends the previously-held order — though certainly for the better. “From Winter’s perspective, Billie brings a lot of excitement into her life,” Cora states, likening Winter and Roman to “little dorks.”

In a similar vein, Brown says, “Billie really needs Winter in a way, and without her, I feel like she would’ve found herself in a lot of trouble.” Putting supernatural chaos and humor aside, at the heart of the series is a celebration of belonging, both familial and found. “It just automatically felt like home.”

“For most of these kids, this is their first series regular, and so watching them mature and grow and blossom into these characters and themselves in real time was just such an honor as an adult on the show,” says Mimi Gianopulos. Alongside Gomez and Henrie, the adults on set mentored the young cast, from pre-shoot pep talks to reviving the original series’ behind-the-scenes traditions — which include signing their names on the back of the set backdrop and secretly (and harmlessly) trying to kick each other in the back of the knees between scenes.

Beyond BTS chaos and inside jokes, however, were more pointed moments of coaching. “As you get older, there’s an instinct to want to pass things down,” Henrie says. Cora describes how he would stress the importance of asking for help in any situation, whether it be with blocking for particular scenes or how to best deliver a handful of lines. He instilled a sense of groundedness within her and her castmates, allowing for greater calm while filming.

Meanwhile, Selena Gomez was a significant mentor to Brown, encouraging her to stay true to her sense of self and care for acting. “‘It doesn’t matter what other people are saying about you, all that matters is that when you look inside, when you look in the mirror, what are you saying to yourself?,’” Brown distinctly remembers Gomez asking. “Alex saw something in Billie that nobody else saw, and I think, in a way, she knew her brother would be the right one to teach her about it,” Brown similarly speaks of her character.

WIZARDS BEYOND WAVERLY PLACE - ÒEverything is Not What It SeemsÓ (Disney/Eric McCandless)DAVID HENRIE, JANICE LEANN BROWN, SELENA GOMEZEric McCandless

The young cast took advice from their seasoned castmates, but they also learned from one another, becoming a quite tight-knit quad. “Janice, she’s so hardworking and dedicated to her craft,” Thiele says, and Matenko chimes in to emphasize just how much she cares not only about her development as an actress, but that of the entire cast as well. When asked about Cora, Thiele explains, “If there’s a bright ray of sunshine, she’s the sun.”

“It’s so easy to get caught up in all of our own careers, and everyone struggles with that, right?” Henrie poses, as if to suggest he’s speaking from experience. It’s a matter of remembering that they’re “here to serve the audience, [and] serve each other as fellow actors” — critical reminders he passed down to Brown, Cora, Thiele, and Matenko, as the budding stars shift to gaze at what lay ahead of them.

“I’m really excited to show viewers that you can find family, even if it’s not blood-related,” Brown says. “David talked about people that would come up to him, Selena or Jake, saying how the show saved their lives and how they were there for them in time of need. I hope we’ll get to be here for even younger fans who may have not been alive to experience the original.” She continues, “When I got the role, I was not thinking about money or fame, I was just like, ‘I get to build a family.’”