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For David Henrie<\/strong>, reuniting with his Wizards of Waverly Place<\/span><\/i><\/a> costar <\/span>Selena Gomez<\/b><\/a> for the highly anticipated sequel Wizards Beyond Waverly Place<\/em> was everything he\u2019d hoped for and more. \u201cIt was magic,\u201d the 35-year-old actor exclusively tells Life & Style<\/em>, who\u2019s reprising his role as brainy wizard Justin Russo in the upcoming Disney series. (Selena, 32, is back for the pilot as his rebellious younger sibling, Alex; she\u2019s also serving as an exec producer.) \u201cWe\u2019re older, but at the same time, it felt like not a moment had passed.\u201d<\/p>\n While all of the former cast members have stayed in touch since the beloved show went off the air after four seasons in 2012, David says he and Selena share a special bond: \u201cShe was always like my little sister.\u201d Here, the dad of three (he and his wife of seven years, former Miss Delaware Maria Cahill<\/strong>, are parents to Pia, 5, James, 3, and Gemma, 2) talks to Life & Style\u2019<\/em>s Katie Bruno<\/strong> about returning to Disney, dodging the child-star curse and fatherhood.\n<\/p>\n It\u2019s going well! Selena and I were back on camera for the first episode, which was an absolute blast. It was like getting back on a bike you know very well.<\/p>\n Justin\u2019s very much following in his father\u2019s footsteps. He\u2019s given up magic, and he has a normal family now \u2014 but was it against his will? Or not? You have to watch to find out. There are a lot of mysteries that will slowly get unraveled.<\/p>\n [David DeLuise<\/strong>] was on set yesterday. Dad was in the house! We did a very funny scene together. We want everyone to come back.<\/p>\n I wouldn\u2019t say we saw each other every day, but we kept in touch. We\u2019d have dinners every so often. I was probably closest with Selena<\/a>.<\/p>\n We all knew each other \u2014 we\u2019d see each other around. I just bumped into Dylan Sprouse<\/strong> the other day, and we were totally like, \u201cDude, good to see you!\u201d We caught up for a minute. We\u2019re all still pretty friendly.<\/p>\n It\u2019s very simple: I had really good parents. I wasn\u2019t a breadwinner for the family, and I wasn\u2019t beaten up for not doing well on auditions. I do still have my issues \u2014 nothing traumatic \u2014 but you\u2019re under a lot of stress and pressure, and that\u2019s not normal for young people. But I was very fortunate<\/a>.<\/p>\n My daughter came on set the other day for the first time, and she saw all the glitz and glamour. I was like, \u201cOh boy. We gotta watch this one.\u201d She\u2019s very energetic and has a great personality, so she could totally do it. I\u2019d let her do something I\u2019m producing where I control the environment, but I\u2019d hold off on putting her in the grind with all the auditions and multiple things a week.<\/p>\n Wonderful. I wouldn\u2019t trade it for anything. Being a dad is the most meaningful thing in my life. It gives shape and direction and meaning and a whole new level of energy to my life.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nHow\u2019s the reboot going?<\/h2>\n
Tell us about the show.<\/h2>\n
Who else is coming back?<\/h2>\n
You\u2019ve stayed in touch?<\/h2>\n
What about other Disney stars?<\/h2>\n
How did you avoid the child-star curse?<\/h2>\n
Would you let your kids become actors?<\/h2>\n
What has fatherhood been like?<\/h2>\n