Wizards' Star Janice LeAnn Brown and 'Vampirina's Kenzi Richardson on Leading the Next Generation of Disney Breakouts: "So Glad That We Get to Bring Disney Back"
For the last decade, Disney Channel’s golden age has become a distant memory for Millennials and elder Gen Z-ers. With the rising popularity of streaming services, gone were the days of waiting for our favorite shows like Hannah Montana, That’s So Raven, and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody to come out on a weekly basis, and with a lack of captivating content, the network, once vibrant with charisma and unique stories that taught life lessons through comedy, seemed to have lost its mojo. But now, with the revival of Wizards of Waverly Place and the creation of live-action shows like Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, that nostalgic feeling is flooding back in.
“I’m just so glad that we get to bring Disney back,” Janice LeAnn Brown, who stars in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, told Decider. “It’s such a beloved thing, and I really hope that this new generation can experience that.”
Kenzi Richardson, who leads Disney Channel’s live-action Vampirina sitcom, added, “To know that we’re carrying on the iconic legends of all these people and Disney shows that have come before us, it means the world.”
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place—the sequel series that’s executive produced by and stars OGs David Henrie and Selena Gomez—just dropped its second season, revealing that Billie (Brown), the young and powerful wizard Alex (Gomez) asked Justin (Henrie) to train, is actually Alex’s daughter who was erased from everyone’s memory to protect her from her evil grandfather.
“We were all bawling,” Brown recalled of filming that “beautifully written” final scene where Alex and Billie’s memories were restored and they realized their connection. “That was heavy. I was not expecting for them to go that way with a Disney sitcom, but I’m actually really glad with how it came out.”
When Brown and Richardson visited Decider’s studio, they shared the best advice they’ve gotten about leading their own Disney shows, how they’re feeling about the Wizards Beyond Waverly Place/Vampirina: Teenage Vampire crossover, and which of their characters’ powers they wish they could use in real life. Check out the full interview below.
DECIDER: You are both on such fun shows. What’s it like for the two of you to be leading the next generation of Disney stars?
JANICE LEANN BROWN: It means so much. It’s literally the craziest to think of. It seems like yesterday I was six in my hot pink glasses, watching Wizards of Waverly Place with my big cousin, and now I’m on the sequel of the show. It’s literally insane to me, and I’m just so glad that we get to bring Disney back. It’s such a beloved thing, and I really hope that this new generation can experience that. We need those moments back. Obviously, most little kids are streaming and they’re watching YouTube and stuff, but I think it’d be pretty cool to bring back those moments where you’d wait for a Saturday for your favorite Disney show to come on. We were both kind of born at the end, where it was just kind of stopping. But I know that we both got a little taste of that, and I’m really glad that we’re able to bring that back.
KENZI RICHARDSON: Absolutely. There was, I feel like, such a gap in between old Disney movies—and then there was this gap where there were some Disney movies coming out, but then there weren’t. And then there were mostly cartoons out. To say that we’re bringing the live actions back and that we have our crossover coming is so extraordinary, and I wouldn’t rather do it with any other person because I love you. It’s so much fun. To know that we’re carrying on the iconic legends of all these people and Disney shows that have come before us, it means the world.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from some Disney veterans when it came to leading your own shows?
RICHARDSON: I got some really good advice that said, “There’s going to be so many people trying to bring you down and trying to tear you down and trying to get whatever they can out of you. And no matter what, you just have to keep going and you have to be yourself. And even if it seems weird and quirky and people might not like it, that’s okay. Because being unique, at the end of the day, people that are going to love you for you are going to love you for you.”
BROWN: It’s kind of actually the same thing that I mainly hear from Ms.Selena [Gomez] and David [Henrie] a lot of the time. And one thing Ms. Selena always says is, “It gets really noisy at this point in your life and it’s so much going on with being in the industry.” Even with real life going on too, at this age that we are now, it’s a lot going on. And the one thing that she told me was, even with all the noise, just try and prioritize being true to myself, because that’s what really is going to matter. It doesn’t really matter what all these other people may say about me. It doesn’t matter. As long as when I look in the mirror, what do I think of myself when I look in the mirror? That’s what matters at the end of the day. I think that’s the biggest piece of advice that she’s given me.
Janice, I want to start with Wizards because Season 2 just dropped on Disney+. We learned that Billie is, in fact, the child of Alex. What was your reaction to reading that in the script? And how hard has it been for you to keep this massive secret?
BROWN: Man. Scott Thomas, who wrote that final episode … oh, man. We were all bawling. I couldn’t. Not only just because it was the last week of shooting, but because it was just such an emotional moment for me. It was just so beautifully written and I just could not wait to see how it was going to be on screen. All of us were crying. Not just me. It’s not just that I’m a sensitive crybaby. Listen, I mean, the way that they announce it, I like how it wasn’t just like, “Oh, you’re my daughter.” That was heavy. I was not expecting for them to go that way with a Disney sitcom, but I’m actually really glad with how it came out, and I’m so excited for everyone else to see it and it just means so much.
Janice, we had David [Henrie] in the other day and he seemed excited to explore more of Billie and Alex’s backstory, especially who Billie’s father/Alex’s husband could be. Have you been reading theories online? What are your hopes for Season 3?
BROWN: There have been a lot of people. There’s this whole thread, I think, on Instagram or something, of people thinking, who could possibly play my dad? I’ve got people like Jordan Fisher. I think that’d be pretty cool. I mean, I could definitely see him playing my dad. There’s honestly so many more. There’s one person in particular that David really wants. I’m not gonna say it though.
There are a lot of very different directions it could go because it left off on a very open-ended note.
BROWN: Yeah, so I’m really excited for everything. I think the way it ended also opens more ways that we can also bring in OG characters as well and everything. So, I’m really excited to see how Season 3 goes, hopefully, if we get it.
Are there any OG characters that haven’t come back that would like to come back?
BROWN: I’d really like a Mason cameo. I always say that. I really want to see where they are. I don’t know. What happened? Because clearly, you know … I was a Mason stan growing up, but I also kind of like Dean. I don’t know.
She had some good boyfriends!
BROWN: She did. And they were cute, too. I don’t know, but we’ll see.
Kenzi, Vampirina: Teenage Vampire is also so much fun. You play this young vampire who decides to pursue her dreams of becoming a pop star by attending an arts school. What was your reaction when you found out you had booked the role?
RICHARDSON: It was so absolutely incredible. When I first got the audition, I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is such a fun character. I love this.” At the time, we didn’t know that it was based off of the Vampirina cartoon. It was just, “Untitled Vampire Pop Star.” I was like, “Oh my gosh, I love this character. It’s so strange because she seems so familiar.” Growing up, I loved the cartoon. It was one of my favorite cartoons. I related to her so much and I still do. I thought it was just such a fun cartoon to watch. We did the callback and then I finally went in for the test for Vee and I was like, “Okay, wait.” I asked them. I was like, “Is this, by chance, Vampirina the cartoon? Like, a live action?” And they were like, “How did you know?” And I was like, “Well, it was my favorite cartoon.” I figured it out at the test, and then we did a bunch of stuff. We auditioned for them again. On my way back from L.A., I was in the airport in New Jersey, and I got the call. We were getting into the car and I got the call and I was like, “You’re kidding. This isn’t real. You’re lying to me, right?” And they were like, “No, we want you to play Vee.” I was crying. I was like, “I’m not doing this in the airport. Go. I am not doing this in the airport.” So we ran to the car and I screamed and cried, and it was truly the happiest moment I’ve ever felt in my life. It’s a dream come true and I’m so glad to be here now.
