Hank Northrop, son of “General Hospital” star Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) and the late Wayne Northrop, has joined the cast of “Days of our Lives,” although character details have not been released, nor his official air date.
In an interview with TV Insider, Northrop talked with the outlet about his following in the footsteps of his late father, specifically working at the same Burbank studio where his dad taped scenes when he played the iconic role of Roman Brady from 1981-1984, and again from 1991-1994 – from 2005-2006, Wayne returned to the series but took on a new persona as Dr. Alex North.
“I did the audition and I felt good about it, but my focus was on my father,” the younger Northrop recalled, 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.’”
“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,” continued Northrop. “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, [Co-Executive Producer] Janet Spellman-Drucker, [Casting Director] Marnie Saitta, and the production team.”
While he wasn’t at liberty to reveal who he’d be playing on the show, Northrop did share that his first scenes would be with James Reynolds (Abe Carver). “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,” Northrop remembered of his meeting up with Reynolds, exclaiming how the veteran actor had taken him under his wing and taught him how things are done at the show.
“He never lost his sense of humor. He would joke around the whole time. Up until his very last days, he always had a smile and was always teasing people,” said Hank of his father, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s six years before his passing.
Talking about what his mom, Lynn, has to say about the experience, Hank says, “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?”
Among his numerous television credits, Northrop had a memorable role in the pilot episode of “The Morning Show,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, and appeared in multiple episodes of “The Bold and the Beautiful,” and he’ll appear in the upcoming Paramount Network series, “The Madison,” a spinoff of “Yellowstone” starring Michelle Pfeiffer.
For more from his interview with TV Insider, click here.
