Selena Gomez Says Mabel Mora Is ‘An Older Version’ of Her Former Character, Alex Russo
Production for Only Murders in the Building Season 3 is rumored to be starting up any day now, and fans can’t wait to catch up with Mabel Mora. Portrayed by Selena Gomez, the 20-something character offers humor to the show through biting wit, dry delivery, and scathing looks. But if Selenators (Gomez’s loyal fans) feel a sense of familiarity with the character, it’s for a good reason. Gomez herself has shared that, in many ways, Mabel is a grown-up version of Alex Russo.
Selena Gomez starred as Alex Russo in ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’
Alex Russo is, of course, the character that first made Gomez famous. From 2007 to 2012, she portrayed the mischievous witch on Wizards of Waverly Place. While the My Mind & Me star had a few credits prior to playing Alex, having the lead role on the Disney Channel skyrocketed her to superstardom. She also launched her singing career during her tenure on the show. Like Mabel, Alex had a very dry sense of humor, so naturally the actor draws parallels between the characters.
The ‘Only Murders in the Building’ star feels Mabel Mora is an older version of Alex Russo
“I feel like Mabel is an older version of Alex in a way,” Gomez shared The Awardist podcast. “I adored being on that show so much. I felt like I did learn a lot. We actually had great writers — we had two writers that were on Friends — and we had an incredible director that we used for most of our seasons. We got really lucky. I still look back at that and laugh at certain things just because I thought it was so fun, and we tried.”
Gomez genuinely appreciates her Disney roots
This isn’t the first time that Gomez has been candid about how much she enjoyed working on Wizards of Waverly Place. The show gave her the opportunity to do what she loved day in and day out. Furthermore, she was cast in the show before she was the household name that she is today. She formed bonds with her fellow cast and crew that she felt were authentic and genuine. In fact, the Rare Beauty founder credits the show as the last time she geuniely felt loved for who she was.
“They were there before any of it,” Gomez shared with Vogue of the actors who portrayed her TV family on Wizards of Waverly Place. “They loved me for me, and they still do. I can’t say that I have that anymore. I can’t meet someone and know if they like me for me.” Continuing on, Gomez revealed that she’d love to experience the type of love she had before she ever became Alex Russo. “To be honest, I just want to start over,” she stated. “I want everything to be brand-new. I want someone to love me like I’m brand-new.”
