Top 10 Stars You Forgot Were on Wizards of Waverly Place
#10: Austin Butler
Austin Butler’s filmography reads like a what’s what of classic 2000s tween shows. With appearances on “Hannah Montana”, “iCarly” and “Zoey 101”, it was only natural for him to use that momentum to land a guest role on “Wizards of Waverly Place” in 2010. Butler played George, a boy Alex has a crush on, in the season three episode “Positive Alex”. Tribeca Preparatory School’s bandleader, George rebuffs Alex’s advances due to her lack of school spirit. It was a relatively minor role for the actor, who went on to star in major Hollywood productions such as “The Dead Don't Die” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”.
#9: John DeLuca
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John DeLuca is perhaps best known for playing Butchy in the Disney Channel Original Movies “Teen Beach Movie” and “Teen Beach 2”. However, that was not the only time he donned a black leather jacket for a role. The Massachusetts native previously appeared in the “Wizards of Waverly Place” episode “Rock Around the Clock" – wherein Alex and the gang travel back in time to 1957. There Max befriends a greaser named Tommy, who’s played by John DeLuca. It’s a relatively small role, but DeLuca still manages to score a couple of laughs. He has since gone on to appear in shows like “American Horror Story” and “How to Get Away with Murder”.
#8: China Anne McClain
In the season 4 episode "Wizards vs. Angels", China Anne McClain plays Tina, a guardian angel in training. She helps Alex in her fight against the evil Rosie, an Angel of Darkness hellbent on using the Moral Compass to corrupt the entire world. Anne McClain and Selena Gomez have great chemistry in the episode, and it wouldn’t be long before the former would have her own Disney Channel original series in “A.N.T. Farm”. She’s since gone on to appear in the “Descendants” franchise, while also landing a starring role in The CW original series “Black Lightning”.
#7: Octavia Spencer
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This future Academy Award winner had a two-episode arc on “Wizards of Waverly Place”’s first season. Octavia Spencer played Dr. Evilini in the two-part episode "Wizard School", and she was just as nefarious as her name implies. Dr. Evilini was a teacher at Wiz Tech, a wizarding school that Alex and Justin attended at the behest of their parents. Everything seemed just peachy at first, but Alex soon discovered that Dr. Evilini planned to drain Justin of his powers. It’s great to see Spencer hamming it up on screen seeing as how she mostly takes on dramatic roles these days. Still, one can’t help but think that her time on “Wizards of Waverly Place” played a small part in her rise to superstardom.
#6: Bella Thorne
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Nobody could have known it at the time, but Bella Thorne was on the cusp of stardom when she made a one-episode appearance on “Wizards of Waverly Place” in season three. The future Teen Choice Award winner had landed a lead role on “Shake It Up” opposite Zendaya, and the show was set to premier in the fall of 2010 – just a few months after her “Wizards” appearance. Despite the knowledge that her days of bit roles and one-off gigs were potentially over, Thorne does an excellent job of portraying Max’s girlfriend Nancy. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that this sweet young actress would blossom into one of the entertainment industry’s most outspoken and freethinking individuals.
#5: Cindy Crawford
This former supermodel has remained a fixture in the public eye for decades, translating her success on the runway into roles in music videos, films, and television shows. When appearing in the latter, Crawford typically plays herself, so perhaps that’s why you don’t remember her popping up in season two of “Wizards of Waverly Place”. In the episode “Fashion Week”, Crawford played Bibi Rockford, a model who hangs out at the Russos’ home and even plays Dungeons and Gargoyles with Justin and Zeke. Later, Rockford and Alex strut their stuff together on a makeshift runway in the sub station. All in all, this was definitely one of the weirder “Wizards” episodes.
#4: Lucy Hale
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This future Pretty Little Liar appeared in not one but two episodes of “Wizards of Waverly Place” all the way back in season one. Hale played Miranda, a girl Justin is dating and with whom he is desperately hoping to achieve his first kiss. Unfortunately for him, he keeps messing it up, causing Alex to rewind time a whopping 18 times! In the end he gets it right, and Hale turns up again eight episodes later, this time as Justin’s girlfriend. It’s crazy how young both actors look and even crazier that you didn’t remember Lucy Hale in this small but hilarious role!
#3: Wilmer Valderrama
Ever since “That ‘70s Show” ended, Wilmer Valderrama has made a habit of appearing in small but memorable roles in a wide variety of shows. However, in 2010 he only appeared in two: “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (as himself), and “Wizards of Waverly Place”. Valderrama played Uncle Ernesto in the aptly titled episode "Uncle Ernesto". The character stops by the Russo residence on Theresa’s birthday, but with Justin, Alex and Max having promised not to use magic, hijinks naturally ensue. Valderrama was his typical charming self, which begs the question: why didn’t we ever see him again? Perhaps he’ll pop up at the “Wizards of Waverly Place” reunion.
#2: Shakira
In one of the most shocking and hilarious twists in “Wizards of Waverly Place” history, the kids discover that Grammy winning Latin singer songwriter Shakira is actually Uncle Kelbo. It turns out that Uncle Kelbo invented her years ago and has been pretending to be her ever since. It’s a truly wacky premise, but one that the singer gleefully runs with. Watching her shake her hips in the sub station has got to be one of the show’s funniest moments, made even funnier by the fact that she then magically transforms back into Uncle Kelbo! Before we unveil our number one pick, here are some honorable mentions: Daryl Sabara Noah Munck Misty May-Treanor Rob Reiner Kate Flannery
#1: Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had already become the most electrifying man in sports entertainment before he appeared on season two of “Wizards of Waverly Place”. However, he was still a few years away from becoming the Hollywood juggernaut we know him as today. So perhaps that’s why you don’t remember his cameo in the episode “Art Teacher”. Johnson played himself and infused his performance with the kind of charisma and humor that has since become his trademark. Johnson was no stranger to making cameos in teen shows, having done it two years earlier on “Hannah Montana”. However, his “Wizards” cameo was one of his last prior to becoming a bonafide A-lister, so it’ll always hold a special place in our hearts (and funny bones).
