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 โWizards of Waverly Placeโ daughter Alex Russo, portrayed by Gomez. Her nurturing nature also extended beyond the screen to real life, Canals-Barrera tells TODAY.com.
โShe asked me for relationship advice a couple of times during the show,โ Canals-Barrera recalls. โAnd that was really honoring to me because I play her mom. Iโm not her mom … So when (Gomez) asked me a couple of times about marriage and stuff, that was really touching to me.โ
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 Gomezโs wedding to Benny Blanco, she couldnโt help but get emotional. The couple got married in September 2025.
Years later, Canals-Barrera says she didnโt need to give her former on-screen daughter any advice. โNow, at her wedding, I think she figured it out,โ she says.
Canals-Barrera posted a video on her Instagram that showed a side-by-side of her with Gomez on โWizards of Waverly Placeโ and then at her wedding. Canals-Barrera shares that it was a moving celebration.
โ(The wedding) was so beautiful. The vows that they wrote for each other were just so incredible. I mean, we all cried,โ she says. โIt was really beautiful. So Iโm very happy that she found love.โ
โShe deserves the best and so does he,โ she adds. โI wish them the best.โ
The two would reunite again in the โWizardsโ spinoff, โWizards Beyond Waverly Place.โ Canals-Barrera reprised her role as the Russo matriarch for two episodes, including the Aug. 4 finale.
Reflecting on working with Gomez over the years, she called her โa born talent.โ
โShe was on set knowing her lines, completely emotionally prepared and a singer to boot,โ she says.
Also returning to her role of Connie Torres in โCamp Rock 3,โ Canals-Barrera is forever grateful and honored to be the TV mom for many.
โItโs very encouraging as an actor, as a mother in real life, that the mothering moments mean something to (fans),โ she says. โEven when itโs not our own mother. Itโs very touching to us. The nostalgia vibe thatโs happening right now. Iโm so grateful to be part of it.โ