Alkaio Thiele is a creative you should definitely be on the lookout for. 

From starring in successful projects such as 'Call Me Kat', and 'A Christmas Mystery', as well as voicing the character of Spidey/Peter Parker in Disney’s 'Spidey And His Amazing Friends', Thiele can currently be seen gracing our small-screens as Roman Russo; the eldest son of David Henrie's Justin Russo in Disney's brand-new offering "Wizards Beyond Waverly Place".

Through his versatile acting abilities and impeccable comedic timing in the show, Thiele has already won the hearts of millions of people from around the world. 

The series which already placed itself on the highest position of the streaming service's trending charts right after its debut, revolves around the life of a now adult Justin Russo- leading a completely ordinary, mortal life with his wife Giada, and children- Roman and Milo.

It all changes when Justin’s sister Alex unexpectedly decides to bring Billie, a mischievous soul into his home seeking a magic mentor. 

Justin realizes he must dust off his magical skills and dedicate his time to mentor the wizard-in-training while also juggling his everyday responsibilities— and safeguarding the future of the Wizard World.

Alkaio Thiele recently joined us to discuss his audition process, how he garnered the role of Roman Russo, his experience meeting his on-screen family for the first time, memorable moments from the set, what it was like portraying Roman, and much more in this excitingly new exclusive interview.

Hi there Alkaio. Thank you for joining us on ReVamp! How are you doing and how has 2024 been like for you so far?

Thanks for having me! It’s been an insane year and I’m not really sure I’ve totally processed it. At the start of the year I was living in Northern California and starting a production of Urinetown with my musical theatre friends. But then Wizards Beyond Waverly Place was picked up for the season so we made a quick move to LA. Between school, filming all week, and squeezing in voiceover sessions, everything has been a blur…

I obviously have to begin our conversation by mentioning your surreal involvement in Disney+’s highly-anticipated offering 'WIZARDS BEYOND WAVERLY PLACE'. 

First of all, huge congratulations on the role! Kindly walk me through how you initially came to know about this project as well as how the overall audition process went for you?

It was a very involved audition process. The first time I got the audition from my agents was in June 2023. I got to film my self-tape from home in Northern California and heard back from casting directors that I had a virtual callback the next day! Things don’t usually move that quickly so I was super excited about it. I remember being really disappointed with my performance in the callback because I didn’t take notes from the casting director very well. Within days of the callback SAG-AFTRA went on strike and the entire industry shut down. I didn’t hear anything for a long time and was convinced that I was out of the running. But as soon as the strike ended in November, I got another audition for the same role! I didn’t want to waste my second chance, so I asked my acting coach, Amber Horn, if she would tape my audition with me. She was amazing at redirecting my big energy, and thanks to her I got my very first in-person callback! I was absolutely terrified to enter a room with a bunch of people from Disney, but David Henrie was the first person I saw and he said, “Oh my gosh, you look just like me!” The laughter in the room after that comment helped me feel way more comfortable. I wasn’t sure how the audition went at the time, but the excitement I felt totally matched how they seemed to feel about my performance that day.

Were you a fan of "Wizards of Waverly Place" before or were you introduced to the wonderful world of WIZARDS after you were offered the role?

My parents raised me with extremely limited screen time, so it wasn’t until I decided to become an actor a couple of years ago that I started catching up on some iconic shows and films. When the audition for Wizards first came to me the project was called “Project Floogie” and Disney had changed the names of the characters that would link it to the original show. But once we found out the project was a sequel to Wizards of Waverly Place, my mom and I binge-watched the series. It was easy to see why the original show was such a hit. The more we watched it the more we were convinced that my character, Roman, should be just like his dad. It was so fun to finally meet David and then feed off of Justin’s energy and mannerisms on screen.

Do you remember your first impressions of Roman Russo? Now that you have successfully played the eldest Russo son over the course of this new season; how would you describe and define him?  

When I read the character description of Roman Russo for the first time, I was really excited because I knew the character would mirror me in a lot of ways. Roman is a confident rule-follower, straight A student, somewhat neurotic perfectionist, and a lover of routine. He also adores his family and would do anything for them. I’ve definitely maintained those characteristics throughout the series. I do think that as the season goes on, the arrival of Billie, a rebellious and impulsive wizard-in-training, is less of a nuisance for Roman and more of an opportunity to explore parts of himself he didn’t know existed. It’s been a lot of fun getting to take Roman outside of his comfort zone!

What was it like meeting your on-screen father David Henrie, other cast members- Selena Gomez, Janice LeAnn Brown, as well as the rest of your WAVERLY family for the first time? 

A lot of the same crew is back from the original show so they helped us a lot in terms of knowing what would help make our show successful. It took two weeks to shoot the pilot and the cast hit it off right away. I thought it would be weird to spend time with David and Selena, but they were so warm and welcoming from the minute I met them, and it made the rest of us comfortable really quickly. They even included us in some of their traditions from the original show, like signing our names on the set wall, and saying a prayer before our live shows. We felt like a real family within days of meeting each other.

Do you recall your first day on set and how did all of that particular experience go?  

I was pretty terrified. Our first day started with a table read of episode one in a packed room of Disney people. There was obviously the fear of messing up, but I think what made me most nervous was the pressure of the pilot. If our pilot episode didn’t do well, then the series wouldn’t get picked up. Luckily the entire room was cracking up throughout the read. That was a great reminder to enjoy the moment instead of feel overwhelmed by it. Our first live show was so magical. We had a really enthusiastic and supportive audience. I remember in one of the final scenes I kept forgetting a single line and was getting really frustrated with myself. The audience just kept clapping and cheering me on and it totally shifted my perspective to be more positive. It was an unforgettable night!

Did you have any specific acting ritual that helped you get into the mindset of Roman? Any particular route you took in terms of preparation for portraying your character before finally going in front of the cameras. 

The way Roman moves helps me keep his attitude consistent. If I feel like I’m not hitting the right tone in a scene, I check in with myself about how I’m moving and holding my body. Roman is more upright, rigid, and sharp with his body language so once I tap into that I can usually find the right voice and energy.

And do you have any favourite sequence from the project you absolutely loved shooting so much that you can't wait to get everyone's reaction to? 

I love who I got to become once I wore the magical muscle shirt in “Wizards Just Wanna Have Fun”. Our fantastic director, Victor Gonzalez, gave me a lot of freedom in the scenes where Roman was obsessed with his new strength. There is another scene in an upcoming episode where I get to live out an epic basketball fantasy. That scene, and some others, required me to be on wires which have been some of my favorite experiences on set. Ever since I was little, I used my imagination to create action scenes and then physically act them out as the hero. When I decided to pursue acting a couple of years ago, I realized that my dream of being an action hero and doing my own stunts could actually come true. Wizards has been amazing in helping me gain lots of experience in that area. 

Is there any memorable experience or element that you feel like you took away from your time on 'Beyond Waverly Place'? Any funny behind-the-scenes perhaps? 

Honestly, every week is memorable on this set. For Halloween, six members of the crew dressed up as Justin, Giada, Billie, Roman, Milo, and Winter. They even wore wigs and props! It was hilarious. All the kids on set did the “Just give me my money” viral trend to Mimi Gianopulos and David Henrie. While it was funny, we all felt bad because we love them both so much and hated embarrassing them! Taylor Cora introduced me to the show Impractical Jokers and ever since, we watch it in my dressing room on every break. There have been episodes where I’ve hidden some of the prop crew’s props around set… unfortunately I sometimes forget where I hide them so there was a time where they retaliated by hiding my shoes! It took an embarrassingly long time to find them. 

For the people who are about to be introduced to this project, what can you tell us about what the Waverly fans can expect from this exciting novel chapter of WIZARDS? 

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place is a silly, feel-good kids show that will have a ton of magical mishaps just like the original! There will also be updated pop-culture references, new mischief, and new jokes while continuing the themes of family, friendship, love, and acceptance. Each of our characters is different and we hope fans will be able to relate to one or all of us. Our show will make you laugh and tear up, but most importantly, we all hope that you’ll feel like you’re a part of the Russo family. 

What's next for you, Alkaio? Anything apart from this phenomenal new series that you're currently working on? 

Working on this show doesn’t leave a lot of time for anything else, but I’m on the verge of wrapping my last season as Spidey on Spidey and His Amazing Friends. I’m also nearly done recording for a highly-anticipated Cartoon Network comedy series that I’m hoping will premiere in 2025. And this December I’m fulfilling a childhood dream by playing Peter Pan in the upcoming production of Peter Pan and Tinkerbell: A Pirate’s Christmas at the Scherr Forum Theatre!

Ending Note: Thank you for joining us on this lovely interview, Alkaio! Wishing you lots of luck with the launch and success of this show!

Thank you so much! This was really fun for me too!

Lastly, I would love to know if there's any message that you wish to convey to your fans and supporters currently reading this interview? 

We’re really grateful to all the Wizards of Waverly Place fans for giving Wizards Beyond a chance. We understand how hard it is to watch a relaunched version of a show you cherished as a kid. We’re hoping to bring much of the magic from the original show to a whole new generation! Thank you for watching!!