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Fans were not wrong to pick up on queer undercurrents in “The Wizards of Waverly Place”.
On the “Wizards of Waverly Pod”, Peter Murrieta, showrunner on the Disney Channel series in its first three years, confirmed longtime theories about Alex Russo’s sexuality.
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@jenniferlstone We know you wanted Stalex…we wanted it too. #wizardspod #wizardsofwaverlyplace #disneytok
Since the show aired, many fans have speculated about the strong chemistry between the lead character, played by Selena Gomez, and her friend on the show, Stevie Nichols, played by Hayley Kiyoko.
“I wished we could have played more with what was quite obvious to a lot of us, which was the relationship between Stevie and Alex,” Murrieta told podcast host, and former “Wizards” star Jennifer Stone.
“We weren’t able to in that time, but it was pretty clear to all of us what that relationship was,” he added. “That would have been fun.”
Stone commented, “If it was just a few years down the line, we maybe could have played with that.”
David DeLuise, her co-host and the actor who played Jerry Russo on the show, added that “nowadays that could happen” on the Disney Channel.
“Disney Channel has had [LGBT+] characters, and they did it, but we got as close as we could,” Murrieta recalled. “Pretty close. It was pretty much there.”
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Last year, in an interview with Them, Kiyoko talked about playing Stevie on the show before she came out publicly herself.
“At this time, I wasn’t openly queer, and so when I was on ‘Wizards’, I think anytime I was doing a show I felt very insecure or exposing myself as a flaming lesbian,” the recalled. “But obviously [for] the fans who have watched the show, Stevie is a part of their gay awakening, and I wasn’t able to mask my lesbian energy very much in the character.”
Kiyoko memorably appeared as Stevie in four episodes of the series in 2010.