Hank Northrop, whose casting was first announced in February of this year, is set to make his “Days of our Lives” debut at the end of October, a representative for the daytime drama series has confirmed to Soap Opera Network, although character and storyline details remain under wraps.
Northrop is the son of “General Hospital” star Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) and the late Wayne Northrop, who played the iconic role of Roman Brady on “Days of our Lives” from 1981-1984 and again from 1991-1994. From 2005-2006, the Elder Northrop returned to the series once more but took on the new persona of Dr. Alex North as Roman had already been recast with actor Josh Taylor since 1997.
“I did the audition and I felt good about it, but my focus was on my father,” the younger Northrop recalled in an interview with TV Insider, thinking back to the time when he was mourning the loss of his dad, who passed away on November 29, 2024. “It kind of took the back burner in my mind. And then I got a callback and didn’t hear for a little bit. And then the most magical thing happened on my birthday, January 9. I got the call saying, ‘Congratulations, you’ve booked ‘Days of our Lives.’ And I just immediately broke down in tears.”
“It was so cosmic. It was almost like my dad had given me a birthday present, the first birthday after his passing, to help me through the trauma of dealing with his passing,” shared Northrop to the outlet at the time. “You can’t script it. It gave me the ability to cope with it a little more. It was just such a beautiful full-circle moment and I thank [executive producer] Ken Corday, [then co-executive producer] Janet Spellman-Drucker, [casting director] Marnie Saitta, and the production team.”
Fans can expect Northrop to interact in scenes with James Reynolds (Abe Carver), one of his dad’s most popular scene partners, when he makes his Salem debut later this year.
“What a legend,” Northrop commented in his TV Insider interviews. “First of all, it was so cool because he and my dad had such a great working relationship, and they didn’t tell him that I was coming on to work with him. So when I saw him for the first time, he just lit up. My dad always said, ‘James has the best laugh you’ll ever hear,’ and I finally got to hear it in person. This man just lights up the room. He was so kind to me. We honestly couldn’t stop hugging each other. We kind of holding up production a little bit because we were just wanting to connect, and he was just like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you’re Wayne’s son. This is the best thing. I’m so excited. I loved your dad so much.’ I could not ask for a better first scene partner on ‘DAYS.’ He took me under his wing and taught me the ropes.”
As for what his mom had to say about his joining the soap opera, Northrop said, “She has been so supportive. She gave me so much great advice before my first day and gave me so many tips heading into it. She’s been the best support system I could possibly ask for. I feel so privileged and so honored to have her in my life, as I’m now embarking on my ‘DAYS’ journey, because, what better reference point than a woman who’s been doing the genre for almost 40 years now?”
Speaking of Lynn, in an interview with Woman's World, the actress told the outlet of an experience in April when she and her son had the same call time at their respective soaps, with her taping episodes of the Nurses Ball. She said, “To have your son doing what you love and what has given you such a wonderful life…I had to wipe my makeup a little bit that morning, because it just broke my heart that he now gets to do what he’s so in love with—and he just really believes his dad’s watching him do all this. He’s so proud, and so am I!”
Before joining “Days of our Lives,” Northrop’s other television credits include a memorable role in the pilot episode of “The Morning Show,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and he has appeared in multiple episodes of “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
Northrop will appear in at least one episode of the upcoming Paramount Network series, “The Madison,” a spinoff of “Yellowstone,” which stars Michelle Pfeiffer in the neo-Western created by Taylor Sheridan. The series, which follows a New York family dealing with the loss of a loved one while vacationing in rural Montana, is set to release in 2026 and will also be available to stream on Paramount+.
Hank Northrop, whose casting was first announced in February of this year, is set to make his “Days of our Lives” debut at the end of October, a representative for the daytime drama series has confirmed to Soap Opera Network, although character and storyline details remain under wraps.
Northrop is the son of “General Hospital” star Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) and the late Wayne Northrop, who played the iconic role of Roman Brady on “Days of our Lives” from 1981-1984 and again from 1991-1994. From 2005-2006, the Elder Northrop returned to the series once more but took on the new persona of Dr. Alex North as Roman had already been recast with actor Josh Taylor since 1997.
“I did the audition and I felt good about it, but my focus was on my father,” the younger Northrop recalled in an interview with TV Insider, thinking back to the time when he was mourning the loss of his dad, who passed away on November 29, 2024. “It kind of took the back burner in my mind. And then I got a callback and didn’t hear for a little bit. And then the most magical thing happened on my birthday, January 9. I got the call saying, ‘Congratulations, you’ve booked ‘Days of our Lives.’ And I just immediately broke down in tears.”
“It was so cosmic. It was almost like my dad had given me a birthday present, the first birthday after his passing, to help me through the trauma of dealing with his passing,” shared Northrop to the outlet at the time. “You can’t script it. It gave me the ability to cope with it a little more. It was just such a beautiful full-circle moment and I thank [executive producer] Ken Corday, [then co-executive producer] Janet Spellman-Drucker, [casting director] Marnie Saitta, and the production team.”
Fans can expect Northrop to interact in scenes with James Reynolds (Abe Carver), one of his dad’s most popular scene partners, when he makes his Salem debut later this year.
“What a legend,” Northrop commented in his TV Insider interviews. “First of all, it was so cool because he and my dad had such a great working relationship, and they didn’t tell him that I was coming on to work with him. So when I saw him for the first time, he just lit up. My dad always said, ‘James has the best laugh you’ll ever hear,’ and I finally got to hear it in person. This man just lights up the room. He was so kind to me. We honestly couldn’t stop hugging each other. We kind of holding up production a little bit because we were just wanting to connect, and he was just like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you’re Wayne’s son. This is the best thing. I’m so excited. I loved your dad so much.’ I could not ask for a better first scene partner on ‘DAYS.’ He took me under his wing and taught me the ropes.”
As for what his mom had to say about his joining the soap opera, Northrop said, “She has been so supportive. She gave me so much great advice before my first day and gave me so many tips heading into it. She’s been the best support system I could possibly ask for. I feel so privileged and so honored to have her in my life, as I’m now embarking on my ‘DAYS’ journey, because, what better reference point than a woman who’s been doing the genre for almost 40 years now?”
Speaking of Lynn, in an interview with Woman's World, the actress told the outlet of an experience in April when she and her son had the same call time at their respective soaps, with her taping episodes of the Nurses Ball. She said, “To have your son doing what you love and what has given you such a wonderful life…I had to wipe my makeup a little bit that morning, because it just broke my heart that he now gets to do what he’s so in love with—and he just really believes his dad’s watching him do all this. He’s so proud, and so am I!”
Before joining “Days of our Lives,” Northrop’s other television credits include a memorable role in the pilot episode of “The Morning Show,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and he has appeared in multiple episodes of “The Bold and the Beautiful.”
Northrop will appear in at least one episode of the upcoming Paramount Network series, “The Madison,” a spinoff of “Yellowstone,” which stars Michelle Pfeiffer in the neo-Western created by Taylor Sheridan. The series, which follows a New York family dealing with the loss of a loved one while vacationing in rural Montana, is set to release in 2026 and will also be available to stream on Paramount+.
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This article first appeared on Soap Opera Network.