Temple of Geek sat down with Wizards Beyond Waverly Place stars Alkaio Thiele (Roman) and Max Matenko (Milo) to discuss Season 2. In the first season Roman and Milo learn that Billie is a wizard and their dad is a wizard. It takes a little adjustment for the entire Russo family to handle all that comes with a wizard in a house with mortals. Season 2 finds Roman and Milo now being trained for the Wizard Family Competition as their dormant wizard powers have activated.
Becoming Wizards in Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
Sometimes being a wizard can skip a generation even if the parent is a wizard. After their battle with Evelin’s son awoke their dormant powers they now have their wizard powers. Training has now begun for Milo and Roman.
Q: How does it feel now that Roman and Milo have their wizard powers and are getting to embrace their heritage they thought skipped over them?
Max Matenko: I just think it’s super awesome. I think Milo overall is enjoying the fun because he was fine without being a wizard. Now that he is a wizard extra plot lines. I just think overall it’s cool to be a wizard and I think Milo is having fun with it. Using his wands to make the funniest spells. Like Junk-us M’Trunk-us.
Alkaio Thiele: I’m not going to lie I was jealous of Janice and Billie in the first season. Because obviously Billie is a wizard and in the first season we were not. And she was like I’m gonna name my wand ‘Bobby’. And I was like ‘Oh yeah funny’, but secretly I wanted a wand to name whatever I wanted. So when we heard that that was going to be part of season 2 I was really excited and it’s hard because you’re in scenes with more special effects and it takes longer. But like Max said spells like Junk-us M’Trunk-us make it all worth it.
Matenko has named his wand Miles while Thiele is still looking for inspo in picking a name for his wand.
Wizard Family Competition
Roman and Milo getting their powers and Billie living with the Russo’s that means that Justin has to train all three of them. The Russo’s have a rocky history competing in the Wizard Family Competition. The competition has a history of causing the Russo siblings to break. So much to the point that only 2 out of the three siblings still talk to each other.
Q: Do you think the pressure of the Wizard Family Competition will test Roman and Milo’s brother dynamic or will it make it stronger?
Max Matenko: I honestly think in terms of Milo, the character he wants to be a wizard for the rest of his life. I honestly don’t think he cares too much. I think he’s just having fun with when he has his powers. So I don’t think at least from my Milo’s side it’s gonna be like interrupt the relationship or anything because he’s just gonna be like ‘Ok, you can do that spell. I’ll see how I can make my butt bigger.’ I feel like maybe it won’t be on that end. But maybe if Roman really trying to learn spells and pressing Milo saying I’m better and stuff, you know maybe that will get some banter going.
Alkaio Thiele: Yeah, in like a direct head-to-head battle like logically Roman will be the winner. He just knows more spells and knows more about things. And I think Milo knows that I think he knows that Roman is better I guess but I think there will be both of that. Some bringing us closer together and some that are going kinda test us and see if we can still accept each other through competition.
Learning From Your Character
You can learn a lot from the characters you play as an actor. Especially when you have characters who have three different personalities. Roman, Milo and Billie are good examples of three different styles of teaching. Everyone doesn’t learn the same and has different things they need to help them succeed. These three characters represent that perfectly as they learn what it takes to becoming the family wizard. Thiele said, “And what makes Justin a good teacher is that he can adapt to fit all of his students differently.”
Q: What has playing Roman and Milo taught you about yourself?
Alkaio Thiele: Well when I’m playing Roman, if Billy is being mischievous and Milo is going along with it Roman is the guy that’s gonna be like ‘Guys, stop it what are you doing? This is so irresponsible!’. And so in my life it’s kind of taught me to just chill out. Because I would get very up in arms about everything. If if someone wrote down there instead of their I would like get all very mad and high emotion. And now that I’m starting to see that in my character and seeing how ridiculous it looks on camera. Just chilling a little bit.
Max Matenko: I obviously love my character. I’m a lot like him in terms of like loving sports and just like adventure and curious. But I think I don’t mean this in a bad way at all. But I almost feel like I taught myself not to be like Milo a little. Because he’s sort of lets things go in one ear and out the other and that’s an awesome thing. But I want to get into a college and everything. I think it was fun to play that character.
Guest Stars and Joining Disney Channel
There are many new and old characters that will be guest starring in the upcoming season. I was curious which guest stars did they have the most fun working with. Matenko said, “I think Freya Skye was really nice. She was awesome. And her episode was great. She’s such an awesome actor and kind person. So it was really fun. And we were all eating lunch in the dressing rooms and everything, and she just fits right in.”
Thiele chimed in, “Working with Selena is just a ball and she is such a doll. That rhymed I’m so happy. And I learn a lot from her whenever she’s on set because she has done this before and she just knows so much. I’m kind of in awe of that. And so I just want to spend as much time around her as possible and just soak up all of the knowledge that she has to offer. And I just really enjoy working with her a lot.”
When asked what it means to them to join the Disney Channel legacy? To have kids look up to them and say they raised them? Matenko said, “Obviously having any Disney show is really awesome and an honor, but I think to already have a bit of a legacy in the original show and now getting to be able to carry that out and having people say, the other show was my childhood and now my kid’s childhood is this. That’s just so awesome to know that you were part of a kid’s childhood. I’ve got some shows that I watched growing up that I don’t even think about the actors who don’t even know that that was my entire childhood watching that.”
Thiele add, “Jeez. It’s like an athlete seeing their jersey in the stands for the first time. And I don’t think I’ve quite experienced that yet. David and Selena have a lot because the kids that are watching this are like around our age. So they haven’t necessarily grown up on us yet, but I’m really honored that I get to be part of these people’s lives from the very beginning. That is a very beautiful thing.”
Season 2 has returned on Disney Channel and Disney Channel On Demand. All episodes of Season 2 of Wizards Beyond Waverly Place will be available to stream on Disney+ on October 8.
