The popular Disney Channel original Wizards of Waverly Place was the claim to fame for Selena Gomez, who starred as Alex Russo. The show focuses on her and her family, which consists of her parents and two brothers, as they run a sandwich shop on Waverly Place.
However, everything is not as it seems, for the kitchen holds a secret magic lair where the kids learn and practice the magic passed down from their dad. The chaos of having three teenage kids with magic powers they don’t always use responsibly is all chronicled through the four seasons, movie, and television special.
As the main character, Alex delivers a lot of memorable lines. Whether they are funny, relatable, or actually deep and thoughtful depends on the episode and situation, but she has a nice spread of everything throughout the show’s run. This can make it tough to sift through her quotes to find the good ones, but we’ve managed to compile a few here that sums up her character’s charm and personality well.
10 “Oh my gosh, someone sent me flowers, I wonder who it could be, me!”
If there’s anyone who is big on self-love, it’s Alex. As a high school girl, she has a bit of an ego that can present itself as her sounding narcissistic. In this episode, however, things don’t quite go to plan when she creates a love potion to try and win the heart of a crush. It backfires and makes her fall in love with herself, which is why she sent herself flowers in the first place.
While funny and clearly not something she would do if she was in her right mind, it shows us the kind of person Alex is as she’s still kind to herself and doesn’t mind the extra ego boost, too.
9 “Look, I’ll handle it like I handle all of life’s problems. Ignore it until it goes away.”
Though maybe not the best advice, this definitely shows how Alex currently approaches life. Maybe it’s a little easier to ignore things when you have magic on your side, but it’s still surprising that nothing major has come her way to make her feel ignoring it won’t make it go away.
This could also explain why she was always getting into trouble though too because she didn’t think through the consequences. When you feel like you can get away with anything thanks to the help of magic, it’s probably a little too easy to break the rules you don’t like and expect no one to notice.
8 “Why did the music get all scary?”
Seeing characters break the fourth wall isn’t something we see often, but this one is a little different. Alex desperately wants to see a movie she’s still a little too young to see without an adult’s supervision, but her mom won’t let her go see it. This horror movie is too popular for Alex to accept her fate, so she uses magic to get her into the movie — only the spell reacts literally and puts her into the movie itself, not the theater.
As a new member of the movie, Alex is now subjected to horror movie tropes as she tries to escape, and she can hear the movie’s soundtrack as she goes. Though a terrifying experience for her, the episode is hilarious and unforgettable for moments exactly like the one this quote came out of.
7 “I’ll see you back home. From east to west, this spell’s no jest, wherever we roam, send Harper back home. Wait, did I say roam or home first? Eh, she’ll like Rome.”
Making simple mistakes is something everyone does occasionally, as no one is perfect. However, when those mistakes are magical and are interfering with other people’s lives, it becomes a different matter entirely. When trying to send her best friend Harper home with a spell, she realizes she may have made a mistake in the wording and sent Harper to Rome instead.
Instead of being worried, though, she shrugs it off, believing that Harper will enjoy Rome anyway. Leave it to Alex to go with the flow, even if that means accidentally sending a friend to a different country.
6 “Because when you help someone your guard is down and that’s when another Russo will come right behind you and trip you!”
Anyone who has siblings can understand the truth behind this quote. While Justin is feeling down and out about a recent breakup, Harper is trying to convince Alex to help her with her plan to make him feel better. That’s when Alex shoots back this quote.
Even if you have the best intentions and everyone knows if you let your guard down, any of your siblings will jump at the chance to play a trick or something on you. Considering that this show constantly brings up these exact family dynamics, it fits well for the setting, as well as being something people can relate to.
5 “Yeah, I mean you tell the truth you get in trouble. You lie you get in trouble. We’re probably just better off not talking to each other.”
Unfortunately, everyone has had a moment where, despite telling the truth, no one believes them. Whether you lie too often, or the truth is just too outrageous to believe, it can happen a lot. Alex probably has to deal with it more than most, however.
Between constantly finding herself in problematic situations as well as having a magic secret, there must be a lot of times when people don’t believe her. Sometimes this truth isn’t a good thing, either, especially when she’s done something to get in trouble, meaning talking about that doesn’t go well often, either.
4 “So. This is where it all happens. Over there is photography, where they show beautiful girls so other girls feel inferior.”
For a fictional show with magic and mythical creatures, this quote hits a little close to home in the real world. While Alex is showing Harper around the office of a fashion magazine, she brings this up. It’s rather well known that the beauty and fashion industry like to work with unrealistic standards, using heavily edited photographs to sell their products.
An unfortunate effect of this means a lot of girls who don’t look like these models think they don’t look good, destroying their self-confidence and self-image. It was great to see her address it, even if it was just a little moment because those kids who were watching when she said it could begin to understand just what the beauty industry was doing to them.
3 “I used a spell to get you guys to go out when you asked me not to meddle, and I’m sorry. And now I see that I used magic when I didn’t have to. The real magic is you two working together.”
When Alex saw Harper trying and failing to get the guy she liked, Alex meddled in the way she always does — by using magic. She had gone against Harper’s wishes, however, as Harper wanted to win him over naturally, and without any help.
Though the plan didn’t work the way it was supposed to, and things took unexpected turns along the way, Alex was genuinely sorry that she had even involved herself and delivered this genuine apology. Sometimes, she admits to her mistakes, especially when it hurts those she cares about. Luckily though, Harper still got the boy in the end.
2 “Leave my friend alone! She’s the only one who sees through my schemes and sticks around!”
One thing you never have to doubt is how much Alex cares about those close to her. Harper has been by her side through thick and thin and seems to be one of the only ones who sticks around despite the trouble she gets herself into.
Outside of her family and Mason, her boyfriend whom she will eventually marry, no one else sticks around. That’s why, when Harper is in trouble, Alex tries anything to keep her safe. Showing and knowing just how valuable friendship is was an important part of Alex’s character arc, and a great reminder for everyone watching.
1 “It’s for all the times you saved me when I wasn’t good. And a couple of more times in the future so we’re even.”
Justin had gotten himself in quite a predicament when he was captured by dark angels intent on draining his life force for their own nefarious needs. Alex was the one to come infiltrate their lair and rescue him from his imminent demise.
Afterward, we see a rare occasion where Alex and Justin aren’t at odds with each other and actually have a deep, meaningful conversation. She says this as an explanation for why she saved him, admitting that she’s not a perfect person, and he’s helped her out on more than one occasion without thanks, so she’s finally making up for it. Soft moments like these are what really make a character, and produce some of the greatest, most meaningful quotes.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
