Selena Gomez says she was 'the happiest I'd been in my whole life' on 'Wizards of Waverly Place' and 'slowly became kind of ashamed' of her decisions after the show

• Selena Gomez said she was "the happiest I'd been in my whole life" on "Wizards of Waverly Place."
• Gomez said that she "bonded" with the cast and felt "unconditional trust" from them.

Selena Gomez reflected on her time playing Alex Russo on "Wizards of Waverly Place" and said that she was the "happiest" she's ever been while being part of the hit Disney Channel sitcom.

"I felt like I was the happiest I'd been in my whole life," Gomez said during a guest appearance on the latest episode of costars Jennifer Stone (Harper Finkle) and David DeLuise's (Jerry Russo) new rewatch podcast, "Wizards of Waverly Pod."

"I don't want that to be a sad thought, because I'm really grateful and happy," Gomez continued. "But it was definitely the happiest times for me. And I recognize that obviously, it's because I have this different attention on me that I just didn't have then, and that was a really pure time."

"Wizards of Waverly Place" lasted for four seasons between 2007 and 2012, spawning a TV movie called "Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie" (2009) and a TV special titled "The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex." (2013).

The show centered on a family of wizards who owned a sandwich stop in New York City. Gomez's role as a teen wizard with two brothers made her a household name on the network and propelled her to fame.

Gomez said that the "WoWP" cast was close and that she felt safe with them. She also revealed that she feels "most comfortable" with Alex Russo than with any other character she's played.

"I felt like I bonded with everyone," Gomez said. "Little did I know that I ended up with everyone that needed to be in my life. I think I felt safe and that's a really hard thing for me to feel. And I know that you guys love me for me. You guys genuinely loved me, and that's all I could have asked for. The unconditional trust and bond we had, I miss so much."

The actor also said that unlike many of her other filming experiences, there were no egos on the set of the series.

"I tell people all the time, I've never had that feeling that I felt with the whole 'Wizards' crew," she said.

In the years after "WoWP" ended, Gomez went on to continue simultaneously pursuing her careers in acting and music.

She released three albums between 2009 and 2011 as the frontwoman of the band Selena Gomez & the Scene, then pivoted to being a solo artist after the group disbanded.

Additionally, Gomez also starred in films like "Spring Breakers," "Hotel Transylvania," and "The Dead Don't Die."

Now, she's the founder of the cosmetics brand Rare Beauty and stars on Hulu's hit series "Only Murders in the Building." Gomez is vocal about mental health and has been outspoken about her own challenges on various occasions, most prominently in the 2022 Apple TV+ documentary "Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.

During the podcast, Gomez admitted that her biggest mistake was "not staying in touch" with the cast after "WoWP" ended.

"I think I slowly became kind of ashamed," she said. "I felt ashamed of the decisions that I made and I didn't want you guys to see me in the state I was in, because A. you would have told me the truth, which terrifies me, and B. I didn't want to let you down."

"I appreciate you saying that too because, to be perfectly blunt, there have been times where I'm like, 'Did we stop being friends because I didn't tell her what she wanted to hear? You know what I mean?'" Stone said in response. "So, I appreciate you being that honest."

"I appreciate you guys dearly," Gomez added, "and I love you so much in a way that I never loved anybody else."