The longtime friends and former costars reunited for ‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’ this year, which Henrie tells PEOPLE was “a dream come true”
David Henrie is always going to feel like a big brother to Selena Gomez.
The actor, who starred as her older brother on Wizards of Waverly Place from 2007 to 2012, has remained tight with Gomez, 32, in the years since the show ended, and the actors recently reunited for a new iteration of the beloved Disney Channel series.
At the L.A. premiere of Henrie’s directorial debut Monster Summer, starring Mel Gibson, he tells PEOPLE it was “awesome” to reprise his character alongside Gomez.
“It was a dream come true. [She] and I have kept in such good contact and remain good friends,” he says.
Selena Gomez and David Henrie Go Back to ‘Where It All Started’ in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place — See the First Look!
Reflecting on how the singer, actress and makeup mogul has evolved over the years he’s known her, Henrie, 35, says, “She’s continued to get more and more mature. She’s really settling into herself and her own and really owning her life.”
He adds that it’s “been wonderful to see her continue to grow into a beautiful woman.”
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place — which Gomez, 32, only guest stars in for the pilot episode, though she is an executive producer alongside Henrie — premieres next month on Disney Channel, and follows an adult Justin Russo (Henrie) who has “chosen to lead a normal, mortal life with his family” when Alex (Gomez) lands on his doorstep with Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown), a young wizard in need of guidance.
Henrie says of the new series, “Getting to pass the wand off to a whole new generation — but at the same time give a big, warm hug to our OG fans — is a dream come true for both of us.”
“It’s nuts,” he continues. “As I was driving here, we passed the Wizards poster on Sunset, and you see that thing and you’re just like, ‘Whoa. It’s really happening. It’s really happening.’ It’s crazy.”
Selena Gomez as Alex Russo and David Henrie as Justin Russo in ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’. Eric McCandless/Disney Channel/Getty
Gomez feels equally chuffed to be returning to the Wizard World more than a decade later. The singer told the Associated Press last month that it was “like a dream” to be back on set.
“I truly feel like it was the place I started and I’ll always be grateful for that time and I just hope that this new chapter can bring a whole new audience joy the same way that we did when we were younger.”
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place premieres Tuesday, Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. ET on Disney Channel and will be streaming the next day on Disney+.
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