David Henrie stars as Justin Russo in "Wizards of Waverly Place."

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One of the Disney Channel's most popular shows has a native Arizonan in its midst.

Before David Henrie took on the role of Justin Russo, the eldest brother on "Wizards of Waverly Place," he spent some of his childhood years living in Scottsdale.

Every now and again, Henrie made it down to Tucson.

"I had hockey tournaments out there," the 18-year-old actor said in a phone interview from Southern California earlier this week. "I played for a team called the Firebirds in Scottsdale and we played Tucson teams all the time."

Henrie said he and the rest of his on-screen siblings are wrapping up their first eight episodes, with nine to come.

New episodes of the show begin tonight on the Disney Channel.

Hollywood is a scary place to work in lately. Does the impending actors' strike worry you at all?

"Of course. A lot of my (Screen Actors Guild) buddies are going to lose jobs and won't be able to work. In terms of myself working on the show, we're AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) so I think we'd be fine. But I'm concerned about everyone else."

Do you ever miss Arizona?

"I go there once in a while to visit all my family. I miss the amazing gyms. There are some amazing gyms in Arizona. A lot of the gyms in California are kind of cruddy. I also miss the sports bars. Arizona has this one sports bar with the best chicken wings in the world. It's called Zipps (Sports Grill). Whenever I go there, I go to Zipps and get some wings."

Was snagging a role on "Wizards of Waverly Place" an easy task?

"I had a terrible first audition. It was horrible. I didn't know my stuff. I was missing all my beats and I wasn't funny. I walked out of there thinking I will never work for Disney again, but somehow I got a call back for it and I nailed it.

"They've changed it up a lot. Originally, I didn't have a brother. From the pilot to now, it's like two completely different shows. I'm happy with where it's at right now. I play a good character that's a good role model for kids."

You turn 19 next week. Are you looking at any other projects beyond Disney?

"Definitely. I'm developing a Web site for myself where I'm directing and writing skits that I'm going to put online and are a little more edgy. I'm going to be looking for material out there that contrasts Disney. I'm capable of more dramatic, meaty roles. That's what I'm looking forward to. Disney is giving me great exposure and building a fan base so I can do those types of movies."

What can we expect from the new season of "Wizards"?

"A higher budget, more effects, a lot more crazy stuff, things crashing through walls, wizard parties. I can't disclose too much more than that."