14-year-old Janice LeAnn Brown is front and center in Disney's Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.
Meet Janice LeAnn Brown - Biography Details
While several stars from the original Waverly Place were confirmed for the revival, the new series gives today's youngsters a new star to follow, Janice LeAnn Brown (born September 27, 2010).
Janice LeAnn Brown Previously Starred in Euphoria
At only 14 years old, Janice LeAnn Brown has already starred in some of the biggest TV shows of the modern era. One of the biggest is Max's Euphoria, which features massive stars like Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney (Brown plays the four and six-year-old versions of Zendaya's Rue).
Some of her other major credits include Montross: Blood Rules, Growing Up Immigrant, and Endings, Beginnings. She kicked off her career with a single-episode appearance in Season 4 of Anthony Anderson's Black-ish in 2017.
Janice Was a Fan of the Wizards of Waverly Place Movies Before the Revival Show
Like many kids her age, Brown was a fan of Wizards of Waverly Place and its various specials and movies before she joined the franchise herself. Interestingly, the call she got to join the revival came when she least expected it, as she detailed to Teen Vogue.
At the time, she was questioning whether she was "even going to make it as an actress" and wondering if she was making the right decisions with her career:
"Am I really even going to make it as an actress? I was questioning myself and my craft, myself as a person [and] what I do and don’t deserve."
When she got that call, she saw it as a "godsend opportunity" that helped reassure her that she would make it in this industry:
"It was a godsend opportunity, and I’m just really happy to be here."
Detailing her experience with the original show with J-14, Brown admitted she only watched a little bit of the show but was "a big fan of the movie." She shared her obsession with both films, which she would watch over and over again when she was younger:
"It’s funny, because I never really watched the show like that. I maybe watched, like, one or two seasons, but I was a big fan of the movie, so I watched the movie all the time. I watched 'Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie' and then 'Wizards of Waverly Place: Alex vs. Alex,' so I was a big fan of those. I guess you could say I was kind of a fan, in a way, because I would literally, after finishing watching it, I would just go right back to the start and then watch it again. I’m not even kidding, like, four times a day."
Selena Gomez Was a Great Mentor to Janice
Later in her interview with Teen Vogue, Brown recalled the advice she got from original series star Selena Gomez (also known for her work on Only Murders in the Building), who will reprise her role as Alex Russo in the revival.
Gomez helped Brown tune out some of the outside noise, noting how the only thing that matters is what she sees in herself when she "[looks] in the mirror:"
"'It doesn’t matter what other people are saying about you, all that matters is that when you look inside, when you look in the mirror, what are you saying to yourself?.' Alex saw something in Billie that nobody else saw, and I think, in a way, she knew her brother would be the right one to teach her about it."
Expanding on her experience in this series with The Hollywood Reporter, she reiterated how Gomez made her feel that it "does not matter what people may say about [her]:"
"Ms. Selena Gomez is super big on staying true to myself. She always tells me it does not matter what people may say about me, what matters is the fact that I stay true to myself and, when I look inside the mirror, I try to say more positive things about myself rather than negative."
Brown also gave credit to co-star David Henrie for "[making] everything so safe on set" and building a culture that is "so positive and so safe and fun." Gomez and Henrie both got credit for never having a "dull moment" as well as they taught Brown and the crew to think about their audience while making the show:
"And then, with Mr. David Henrie, I feel like he just kind of makes everything so safe on set. The culture that he makes on set is so positive and so safe and fun, there’s never a dull moment with either one of them, actually. One thing that he always tells all of us is that there’s a little kid out there, all around the world, maybe, that could be having a really bad day, and what matters is the fact that you are a part of something that, maybe that little kid could really need a laugh, and then they can just turn on the show, smile, laugh, cry. So definitely, they taught me a lot, and they continue to teach me something every single day."
Janice Has Big Aspirations as an Actor
Speaking with Girls Life, Brown shared the big aspirations she has for her future as an actor.
Some of her biggest dreams include red carpet premiere events, and she also has hopes of earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Eventually, she hopes to have an Academy Award to her name as well.
How To Follow Janice LeAnn Brown Online
Those looking to follow Janice LeAnn Brown online can do so through her Instagram page (@janiceleannbrown).
More than 12 years after Wizards of Waverly Place took young fans by storm on Disney Channel, Selena Gomez and her old crew are back for Wizards Beyond Waverly Place. The revival focuses on a new group of young wizards who are being trained by Gomez's on-screen brother Justin Russo (played by David Henrie).
The first two episodes of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place are now streaming on Disney+. The next two episodes will debut on October 30, and later episodes will arrive in twos on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET starting on Friday, November 8.
