Theresa Russo
| First appearance | "Crazy Ten Minute Sale" , "You Can't Always Get What You Carpet" |
|---|---|
| Created by | Todd J. Greenwald |
| Portrayed by | Maria Canals Barrera |
| Episode count | 42 (as of August 7, 2009) |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Co-owner of Waverly Sub Station,waitress |
| Spouse(s) | Jerry Russo |
| Children | Alex Russo Justin Russo Max Russo |
Theresa Russo (née Larkin) is a fictional character on the Disney Channel sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place, played by Maria Canals Barrera. Theresa is the mother of Alex, Justin and Max Russo and co-owner of the Waverly Sub Station, with her husband Jerry; and is also the slightly more serious one out the couple. Theresa is of Mexican descent.
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Theresa Russo is a typical mother. She's fussy, caring and can be pretty embarrassing. Unlike her children, she is a mortal. Theresa lives in Waverly in Manhattan with her husband (and former wizard) Jerry Russo (David DeLuise) and her children: middle daughter Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), eldest son Justin Russo (David Henrie), and youngest child Max Russo (Jake T. Austin). She owns a sandwich shop called the Waverly Sub Station with her husband, in which her children work. She is overprotective of Justin and Max, but Max especially babying him. She tries to relate with her kids, but it doesn't always work.
Theresa stated that she is a "Proud Latina" and tries to get her children to learn about her and their Mexican heritage. In season one's "You Can't Always Get What You Carpet", Theresa states that she once played guitar in a mariachi band when she was younger — though when Justin says that he didn't know his mother played guitar, Jerry says "she's doesn't" - implying that Theresa is not a very good guitar player.
Theresa is the reason why Jerry could not keep his wizard powers. Since wizards are not allowed marry non-wizards, Jerry chose to give up his powers to his older brother Kelbo in order to marry Theresa, as was revealed in season one's "Alex in the Middle" - previously unbeknownst to Justin, Alex and Max, when it is revealed that in his family's wizard competition that Jerry was originally the one who got to keep his magic powers. However, Jerry says he does not regret marrying her.
It has been mentioned several times that Theresa hates magic. An example of this is in season one's "Art Museum Piece", when a spell which causes Theresa to go through objects wears off—and she accidentally walks into the front door and she exclaims "I hate living with wizards!". Being mortal, she finds it difficult to live in a house full of wizards, especially when her children (and sometimes, Jerry) misuse magic in the house.
In Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana, it revealed that Theresa has a phobia of water. Despite this, she won several medals for swimming in high school. Her response was, "Why do you think I was so fast? I couldn't wait to get out of the water."
Episodes Theresa Russo was absent in
- "The Supernatural" - Episode 15
- "Alex's Spring Fling" - Episode 19
- "Graphic Novel" - Episode 24
- "Saving WizTech (2)" - Episode 28
- "Fashion Week" - Episode 34
- "Future Harper" - Episode 37
- "Don't Rain on Justin's Parade" - Episode 40
- "Wizards vs. Vampires : Dream Date" - Episode 49
- "Wizards & Vampires vs. Zombies" - Episode 50