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.

So both him and Michael Roark debut in October... Hortons?

On a superficial level, let's hope he has a lot of shirtless scenes.

 

Thanks!! So glad to have a date to look forward to. Of course, I'm still a daily watcher so I would've seen it no matter what, but anticipation is fun, too!!! This article feeds that!!!

 

I’ve been thinking about the Hank Northrup casting, and trying to figure out who he might be playing based on the show's usual patterns. The February announcement lines up with a fall debut, which gives it an 8- to 9-month lead time. That’s in line with legacy recasts like Will, Abigail, and now Chad—not with short-term or minor characters, who usually show up a few weeks after casting.

Fall also lines up with the 60th anniversary arc, which looks to be loaded with returns and reveals. If Hank were part of a summer plot or a standalone romance, he’d probably be on air by now. This feels more like they’re holding him for something big—family, legacy, long-term structure.

I’ve seen some suggest a recast of Doug III, but that seems unlikely given the scale of the rollout. If they were quietly swapping actors, they wouldn’t do a press push tied to Wayne Northrup or give quotes about Corday calling personally. That’s more in the Chad recast zone.

To me, he’s playing a new Brady-adjacent character; someone introduced with emotional or legal stakes. But I’d be surprised if this wasn’t a character we’re meant to already know, at least by name.

|	Press Fit	Age Fit	Legacy Logic	Estimated Likelihood
Recast Rex Brady	High	Medium	Strong	30%
Brand-new “Brady-adjacent” character	High	Strong	Medium–High	35%
Recast Doug III	Medium	Strong	Medium	15%
Other legacy (Peter Blake, Donovan cousin)	Medium	Strong	Medium	10%
Totally new character	Low	Strong	Low	10%

Edited July 2Jul 2 by j swift

52 minutes ago, j swift said:

I’ve been thinking about the Hank Northrup casting, and trying to figure out who he might be playing based on the show's usual patterns. The February announcement lines up with a fall debut

Errol's post above gave the new info, which is Hanks debut date as the last week of October - so yes likely related to the 60th anniv.
There is a quote from Hank's tvinsider interview which says Hank was working with James Reynolds at first.  But I have no idea who his character would be.  And it doesn't necessarily mean his character keeps working with Abe. Hank mentioned it because of the friendship between Wayne and JReynolds from them having worked together closely.

Edited July 2Jul 2 by janea4old

His look is perfect for DAYS.

God, if only we got studs like this on Bold. Instead we have to watch women praise Ridge like he is the second coming of Christ. 

20 minutes ago, Maxim said:

His look is perfect for DAYS.

God, if only we got studs like this on Bold. Instead we have to watch women praise Ridge like he is the second coming of Christ. 

And, I looked at a picture of him the other day & just had to stop & look again because he's not aging well at all, right?

2 hours ago, Maxim said:

His look is perfect for DAYS.

God, if only we got studs like this on Bold. Instead we have to watch women praise Ridge like he is the second coming of Christ. 

Yes. 

Days is very studly 😂😂😂

Could he be Max Brady? 

https://x.com/TheLynnHerring/status/1979552902495850634

So thrilled & proud for ⁦@GeneralHospital⁩ last night!!!Enjoyed sharing the evening with my son Hank!! He will soon air on @DaysPeacock 💗Thank u for all your continuing amazing support💗 pic.twitter.com/uwV9dcLEbh

— Lynn Herring (@TheLynnHerring) October 18, 2025

 

I'm assuming he's making his debut this week.

They say that Hank Northrup's character will have scenes with Abe at first.

Abe said he plans to tutor Liam Selejko ; however, Theo said Liam once taunted Theo in school. 

*** speculation*** Perhaps Hank Northrup will play Liam? 

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The name Selejko would indicate a relative of Ivy Selejko Jannings, who was played by Holly Gagnier.

Ivy's brother Speed Selejko led the gang "the Vipers".  Their father Paul Selejko was hired to burn down Anderson Manufacturing.  There was also a Snake Selejko.

Interestingly, after the Bo/Hope wedding in England, Bo got help from the original Theo Carver (Abe's brother) to defeat the Vipers.

Ivy married Pete Jannings.  They separated. She learned she was pregnant.  Meanwhile she sort of flirted with Mike Horton.  She gave birth to Charles "Charlie" Jannings on August 9, 1985.  Eventually she reconciled with Pete and they left town with the child.

Random things to wonder about ...
How is Liam connected to Ivy?   Did Ivy and Mike have a child during their offscreen years- so would he be Jeremy's brother?    Or is Liam the son of Snake or Speed?
Does Liam know that Theo's uncle (also named Theo) helped drive the Vipers out of Salem?

If Liam is Charlie's brother, is Pete Jannings the father?  An indirect side connection is that Pete also dated Melissa.  Melissa's biological mother Linda hired Paul Selejko to burn down her factory.

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We are likely to see the character Liam soon, but I don't know if Hank is playing Liam or someone else.

Edited October 18Oct 18 by janea4old

 

What a sweet young man.