Selena Gomez’s Wizards of Waverly Place character was supposed to be in a gay relationship, showrunner reveals: ‘We got as close as we could’
The showrunner revealed that Selena Gomez’s character in her Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place was originally meant to be part of the LGBTQ community.
while talking on Waverly Pod Wizards show with co-hosts Jennifer Stone and David DeLuise, executive producer Peter Morita shared that he had always envisioned Gomez’s character Alex Russo having a gay relationship with her friend Stevie, who was played by Hayley Kiyoko and joined the show in the third season.
“I wish we had played more with what was so obvious to so many of us,” Morita admitted.
However, the Disney Channel’s culturally conservative stance during the show’s broadcast from 2007-2012 prevents them from having an explicit LGBTQ character or portraying explicit same-sex attraction.
“We couldn’t at the time, but it was clear to all of us what that relationship was,” Morita added.
Lesbian romance: Wizards of Waverly Place showrunner Peter Morita said on The Wizards Of Waverly Pod that he hopes Selena Gomez’s character will have a relationship with her friend Stevie (Hayley Kiyoko); The two are seen on Wizards Of Waverly Place
It Won’t Fly: However, the Disney Channel’s culturally conservative stance during the show’s broadcast from 2007 to 2012 precluded them from having an explicitly LGBTQ character or depicting overt same-sex attraction; Gomez was photographed in January in Beverly Hills
Stone was agreeable about the atmosphere at the network during the show’s heyday, though she added that progress had been made in the decade since the show debuted.
The Disney Channel has (LGBTQ) characters, and they do. At that time there was none. But we got as close as we could… I mean, it was really close,” Morita said.
“That would have been great,” he added.
Although Alex and Stevie didn’t have any romance during Kyoko’s time on the show, that didn’t stop fans from creating their own fictional romance.
Fans who were hoping for a relationship between the two often referred to “Stalix”.
Kyoko later comes out as a lesbian, though she was still closeted at the time she was appearing in Wizards of Waverly Place.
The Gravity Falls series, The Owl House, The Proud Family: Louder And Prouder, and Star Wars Resistance all later featured Stranger Things, though both of those shows were animated.
Live LGBTQ personalities seem to be more rare on the net.
Morita also delved into how he hoped the show would end after its fourth season, as the characters of Gomez and Greg Sulkin intertwine.
“I wish Season 4 was about building the relationship of (Alex) and (Solkin’s character) Mason,” he said.
She offers: “The Disney Channel has (LGBTQ) characters, and they do. At that time there was none. But we got as close as we could… I mean, it was really close,” Morita said
hoping for romance: Kyoko, who is lesbian, did not come out at the time, but fans still “shipped” her as Gomez; Seen May 2022 in Los Angeles
Giving it all up to a guy: Morita revealed that he also imagined Gomez’s character giving up her magical powers to be in a relationship with the not-so-magic Mason (Greg Sulkin, center); Still from Wizards of Waverly Place
Having matured, they will now be “good to each other and good to each other.”
He noted that the series will end with a witch contest, in which Gomez’s character will be the winner and will be a witch for her family.
However, she would give up her powers in order to have a relationship with Mason, who is not a magician.
Morita’s ultimate vision for the series was for Saturday Night Live star Rachel Dratch to play an adult version of the Harper Stone character, who would read the series’ story as a bedtime story to children.
