Dan Benson believes he wasn't asked for 'Wizards of Waverly Place' reboot because of his adult film career

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Dan Benson waited a long time to reprise his role as Zeke Beakerman on Disney's 'Wizards of Waverly Place.'

However, the former child actor turned porn actor is "very sad" that he apparently will not be returning for the reboot of the well-liked teenage sitcom because of his history with porn; but he also said he finds it "super exciting that the fans get to" revisit a part of their childhood again.

Dan Benson believes he has ruled out going back to 'Waverly Place' with his new career choices

Benson told TMZ why he wouldn't be playing Justin Russo's closest friend Zeke in the planned sequel, which will star Selena Gomez and David Henrie as Alex and Justin Russo, respectively.

"I think that's it's super exciting that the fans get to relive their childhood again and their old characters that they used to love watching are coming back," Benson — who played Zeke from 2007 to 2012 — said on Thursday, January 25.

"I loved the premise, the new idea of the show. The other side of me is very sad because I know for a fact that I will definitely not be apart of it."

The actor who launched his X-rated adult star account in July 2023 continued, "That's all on me. I put the chance of bringing back the character I played away when I decided to go on this path of being an adult content creator."

Benson further said, "I'm very conflicted. I'm super happy, but also, like, dang it. It's a mix of emotions for me right now," before clarifying that he thinks his involvement in the porn industry keeps him from being a part of the revival series.

"Do think that by me doing porn made it so they can't bring my character back? Yes. I think that I put them in a situation where they don't have a choice," Benson added.

"They can't reasonably bring back my character without bringing back all of the weight that my personal choices have ... it's crazy to be an adult content creator."

He said, "It's crazier to do it so publicly and to be a former child actor from a Disney channel show."

Benson said that he hoped the show "doesn't suck" and that it would nevertheless be able to evoke the "magical years we had together creating this show," per The Messenger.

Dan Benson is annoyed at 'Wizards of Waverly Place' inconvenient reboot

Benson also expressed his annoyance earlier on the awkward scheduling of the 'Wizards of Waverly Place' revival.

"Are you kidding me? I mean, that's hype! But oh boy, what have I done...," Benson wrote on Instagram.

"I waited like 13 years and now, 'ok, here we go, let's fire it up. Dan becomes a porn star - let's reboot Wizards again.'"

He sarcastically joked, "What do they do with Zeke's character? Just act like he doesn't exist? Do they recast him? Oh my God is there going to be someone else playing him? No, no..."

However, only Justin and Alex Russo are expected to return from the original group, which means that only some of their supporting cast members will be making an appearance, per Daily Mail.

Dan Benson claimed adult entertainment 'changed life for the better'

Benson, who previously claimed that adult content "changed my life for the better," said that he would have declined the chance to have Zeke returned, even if Disney Channel had been able to do so, per Entertainment Tonight.

"Even if they called me tomorrow and said, 'Dan, we want you. We don't care about what's been going on. We want you to reprise your character,' I would tell them no," Benson remarked.

He said, "I thought I was going to have big success, turns out my career died. I spent seven years after 'Wizards of Waverly Place' grinding, fighting for every opportunity, doing really bad projects."

"And just, my career died. I felt so low at that point thinking that 'Wizards of Waverly Place' was going to be the biggest thing I ever did."

Reflecting on how he struggled and moved on at the time, Benson remarked, "I look back and I'm proud and I'm excited, but I put all of my self-worth into whether people still recognized me, or can I get another acting job after this? I definitely was at the lowest point of my life."

"I reshaped my life and took back all those years that I had given to acting. It felt like I had nothing left, and I don't have anything left, and I don't love it anymore, so I don't want to do it anymore," he continued.

"Also, I'm my own boss now. I don't rely on anyone else to give me an opportunity. I make those opportunities for myself now. I've moved on," the adult star added.