Over 20 years ago, Maria Canals-Barrera comforted and shared her motherly advice with generations of Disney Channel viewers and stars, including Selena Gomez.
As Theresa Russo, Canals-Barrera gave words of wisdom to her “Wizards of Waverly Place” daughter Alex Russo, portrayed by Gomez. Her nurturing nature also extended beyond the screen to real life, Canals-Barrera tells TODAY.com.
“She asked me for relationship advice a couple of times during the show,” Canals-Barrera recalls. “And that was really honoring to me because I play her mom. I’m not her mom … So when (Gomez) asked me a couple of times about marriage and stuff, that was really touching to me.”
The two entertained audiences as mother and daughter for four seasons between 2007 and 2012, a time Canals-Barrera tells TODAY.com she remembers fondly.
So when Canals-Barrera attended Gomez’s wedding to Benny Blanco, she couldn’t help but get emotional. The couple got married in September 2025.
“Wizards of Waverly Place” ran for four seasons from 2007 to 2012.Eric McCandless / Disney Channel via Getty Images
Years later, Canals-Barrera says she didn’t need to give her former on-screen daughter any advice. “Now, at her wedding, I think she figured it out,” she says.
Canals-Barrera posted a video on her Instagram that showed a side-by-side of her with Gomez on “Wizards of Waverly Place” and then at her wedding. Canals-Barrera shares that it was a moving celebration.
“(The wedding) was so beautiful. The vows that they wrote for each other were just so incredible. I mean, we all cried,” she says. “It was really beautiful. So I’m very happy that she found love.”
“She deserves the best and so does he,” she adds. “I wish them the best.”
The two would reunite again in the “Wizards” spinoff, “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.” Canals-Barrera reprised her role as the Russo matriarch for two episodes, including the Aug. 4 finale.
Maria Canals-Barrera shares fond memories of working with Selena GomezVALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty Images/ Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Reflecting on working with Gomez over the years, she called her “a born talent.”
“She was on set knowing her lines, completely emotionally prepared and a singer to boot,” she says.
Also returning to her role of Connie Torres in “Camp Rock 3,” Canals-Barrera is forever grateful and honored to be the TV mom for many.
“It’s very encouraging as an actor, as a mother in real life, that the mothering moments mean something to (fans),” she says. “Even when it’s not our own mother. It’s very touching to us. The nostalgia vibe that’s happening right now. I’m so grateful to be part of it.”