Hank Northrop, son of late ‘Days of Our Lives’ actor Wayne Northrop, is headed to Salem

Days of Our Lives fans will soon notice a new yet familiar name onscreen: Hank Northrop, whose late father was Days of Our Lives star Wayne Northrop. Hank is “currently taping a short story arc” on the Peacock soap opera, set to air in mid-November, the show confirms to Entertainment Weekly.

The son of Wayne and General Hospital actress Lynn Herring, Hank’s previous acting work includes appearances on TV shows such as Insecure, The Morning Show, and 9-1-1: Lone Star, plus, four episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful in 2017. This year, he’ll play a security guard in Antoine Fuqua‘s biopic of Michael Jackson, called simply Michael, where he appears alongside Colman Domingo, Nia Long, and Miles Teller.

The elder Northrop died Nov. 29, of complications from Alzheimer’s, at the Motion Picture and Television Woodland Hills Home in Los Angeles, Herring announced Dec. 1. “Wayne was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s six years ago,” she said at the time. “He took his last breath in the arms of his family. We wish to thank the most caring and amazing place the Motion Picture and Television Home for taking such great care of him. Wayne touched so many people with his sense of humor and wit.” She recognized him as “a husband for 43 years, the best dad ever to his two boys, Hank and Grady, and a rancher who loved his cows and was a friend to many.”

Northrop starred on Days of Our Lives from 1981, when he originated the role of Roman Brady, to 1984, then returned for a stint from 1991 to 1994. From 2005-2006, he played the character of Alex North. In addition to the more than 1,000 episodes of Days that he did, Wayne appeared in other sudsers, such as Dynasty and Port Charles.

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Herring herself has starred on more than 800 episodes of General Hospital since 1986, but she also had a role on As the World Turns and worked with Wayne on Port Charles.

Her son said she’s “ecstatic” about his new project. “She wants to scream it from the rooftops. She has been so supportive,” he told TV Insider in an interview published Friday. “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.”

The younger Northrop said the job is meaningful to more than just him.

“It’s honestly, for our entire family, just such a healing moment for the tough times of going through losing Wayne,” he said. “I’m just so honored now to get to honor my own father on the show that he loved so much. It’s just so special.”

In fact, the actor said that he had an emotional reaction to learning — on his birthday, no less — that he’d been cast.

“I got the call saying, ‘Congratulations, you’ve booked Days of Our Lives.’ And I just immediately broke down in tears,” Hank said. “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. 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.”

Though Hank didn’t reveal any details about his new role, he told TV Insider he shares his first scenes with James Reynolds, who plays Abe Carver and starred alongside his father for years. He also noted that he and Reynolds had an emotional first meeting on set: “We honestly couldn’t stop hugging each other. 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.”