Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of Our Lives’ Hank Northrop Says Heartfelt Goodbye to Marissa Reyes and Welcomes Vico Escorcia as Liam’s Love Interest Ari Horton (Exclusive)
Next week on all-new episodes of Days of our Lives and as previously reported, Vico Escorcia takes over the role of Ari Horton replacing Marissa Reyes who exited the series ten-months ago on her own accord.
Since DAYS tapes so far in advance, viewers will get to see the new Ari for the first time in scenes on the April 8 episode of the Peacock streaming soap opera. One man who is crucial to the Ari switch is the character’s current leading man, Liam Selejko played by Hank Northrop.
As soap fans know, Hank is the son of DAYS icon, the late Wayne Northrop (ex-Roman Brady) and General Hospital’s Lynn Herring (Lucy Coe) and began his on-screen journey of his own on Days of our Lives in the role of Liam, who we learned is illiterate, has a young son, bullied Theo Carver (Tyler Joseph Andrews) in high school, and has plenty of troubles of his own. However, Liam is smitten with Ari Horton.
In a brand new exclusive interview out today on the Michael Fairman Channel, Northrop opened about many things, but also his high praise for Marissa Reyes and how he will miss her, but how fans are in for a real treat with Vico Escorcia in the part.
FAREWELL MARISSA

Photo: JPI
On the departure of Marissa Reyes, Hank expressed, “She is such a sunshine beam of a human being. I have never met somebody in my life who just exudes so much joy and exuberance and just happiness. Literally, every day that I worked with her was like the greatest. We had so much fun together. I think it really bled onto the screen too. Just our chemistry was playful, and it’s all real. We really genuinely just like each other as human beings. We would hang out and we’d go to the commissary together and get food together. She’s so talented. She lights up any room she goes in and out of. To have that with my first DAYS scene partner in a romantic way, I could not have asked for a better situation. I wish her all the best. Listen, she’s already a superstar. She is going to be huge!”
WELCOME VICO
According to Northrop, Vico will also make you stand up and applaud! “She’s fantastic. I don’t wanna spoil anything, but Vico is a powerhouse of an actress. She is so, so good. I can’t wait for the fans to see it,” exclaimed the actor. “Obviously. I’m very sad that Marissa left. I couldn’t ask for a better Ari. However, I think fans are going to be really, really happy. Vico is ‘Whew! She’s great!”‘
SLOW BURN

Photo: JPI
Hank is also thankful that the DAYS writers have taken their time with the Liam/Ari romance: “This has been a slow burn. It’s a slow build. They met at Small Bar and they had the making out scene. They had to hide her from Gabi (Cherie Jimenez), her mom. But then it wasn’t just like, ‘OK, they’re hopping in bed together’. It was like, ‘OK. let’s treat each other politely and like normal human beings.’ These crazy circumstances happen and that brings them together. Liam’s super infatuated with her. Don’t get me wrong. He has a kid, you know, he has a five-year-old son, and that is his number one priority since day one. He’s super into Ari. But that dynamic, we will see how it progresses, because as you know, on a soap, you can’t just have a completely happy relationship.”
Meanwhile, Vico Escorcia took to her Instagram now that her casting is out, and shared her deep excitement to be a a part of the legacy of DAYS: “I’m deeply honored to announce that I am joining the iconic cast of Days of Our Lives as the new Arianna Horton. Growing up in Mexico, telenovelas are embedded in our culture, so I truly feel that I am honoring my country by venturing into this genre at such a legendary stage. This set has been an incredible school where I’ve learned, explored, and worked hard to become a better artist. I have the utmost respect for daytime actors; I agree with Ryan – they are some of the hardest working artists in our field.”
In replacing her predecessor, Escorcia added, “Taking over for Marissa Reyes is a transition I treat with great care. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her, and I can confirm she is as gracious and loving as she is talented. I have immense respect for the Ari she created, and I’m honored to carry the torch forward in this new chapter. Big shoes to fill. To the fans: Thank you for the warm welcome already, and thank you for inviting me into your home. I hope you enjoy the journey we’re about to take with Ari.”
You can check out the full conversation below with Hank Northrop below.
So, are you enjoying Hank as Liam thus far? Sad to see Marissa go, but excited for Vico’s debut? Are you down for the continuation of the Liam/Ari romance and to see where it goes from here? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
My problem with Vico is her accent. Arianna was raised in America and should have an American accent. Vico’s Arianna doesn’t.
I completely agree with this. She’s way too heavy and thick with that accent.
This Ari, although a great actress, is less than 10 years younger than Gabi/Cherie. IRL. And she looks it/plays it. If for some stupid reason they SORASed Gabi, sure. She and Liam/Northrop seem a decade older than Holly/Ashley and Tate/Leo. I would find her more age-appropriate as a Hernandez cousin, such as Javi’s sister or even fraternal twin.That’d be fun…
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of our Lives’ Reveals Kyle Pryor Cast as Dominic Marino

For months now, Days of our Lives has teased the character of Dominic Marino. In recent weeks, viewers learned that Marino is on the down low working with Sami Brady’s (Alison Sweeney) apparent fiancé ‘Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti), and that he is the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)!
Up until now, the Peacock streaming soap opera has never revealed his face, but that all seemed to change on the Tuesday, October 2o episode of DAYS. In story, Dante met Sami’s parents for the first time, Roman (Josh Taylor) and Marlena.
He shows them a photo of Dominic, which he happened to have on his own phone and even commented he kind of looked like he could be Marlena’s son. The photo, which has quickly made it around Soap Twitter/X, revealed that British-born actor Kyle Pryor is the man in the photo and eagle-eyed viewers actually located said photo on Pryor’s Instagram.

Photo: Peacock
Deadline revealed Pryor started taping at the end of 2025 and will first be seen in the role, on air Monday, November 2. In addition, Days will celebrate its 61st Anniversary with two special episodes featuring Dominic’s arrival, as well the returns of Tony and Anna DiMera, played respectively by Thaao Penghlis and Leann Hunley, on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9.
Those in the know, are are that Pryor previously held series regular roles on Australia’s Home and Away, and the UK’s Hollyoaks and guest starred on Emmerdale. In an ironic twist, Pryor appeared in the series Spartacus: Blood and Sand which is the same action series his apparent TV brother, Dan Feuerriegel (EJ DiMera), once appeared in before coming to DAYS.
So excited to see Kyle Pryor take on the role of Dominic Marino as Days of our Lives sets its anniversary story to kick-off with is arrival in Salem? Share your thoughts in the comment section. And in case you missed our latest conversation with Conner Floyd (Chad DiMera) he weighs-in on how Dominic’s appearance will shake things up in Salem. You can check that out below.
Days Of Our Lives
Days of our Lives’ Conner Floyd Talks Dominic Marino Mystery, Chad and Belle, and Susan Seaforth Hayes (Exclusive)

Fasten your seat belts Days of our Lives fans, as the mystery of Dominic Marino continues to unravel on all-new episodes of the Peacock streaming soap opera. Last week, Chad DiMera (Conner Floyd) learned that he may have a half-brother, who may be the biological child of his father, the late Stefano DiMera (the late Joseph Mascolo) and Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), giving him great pause, because he knows Stefano had kidnapped Marlena for four years back in the late 80s and early 90s.
Chad has already been hunting down clues with his current girlfriend Belle Black (Martha Madison) in Italy and Salem, which revealed a photo of a young boy with Stefano with the date 1992 on the back of it, hidden inside Stefano’s chess set. So, what’s next?
Conner Floyd chatted on the Michael Fairman Channel in a new virtual interview released on Sunday, October 18, where he spoke on what the new addition to the DiMera family could do to the already dangerous sibling rivalries, the state of Chad’s relationship with Belle and much more.

Photo: JPI
DIMERA RIVALRY
After finding out from EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) that Dominic Marino could be the never-before-heard-of child of Stefano and Marlena, Conner Floyd explained, “I think it blows Chad’s mind a little bit. I think there’s a lot of things working there with old Chad. Obviously, bringing in another DiMera could cause some noise and the whole situation with Marlena’s a little awkward as well because he’s dating Belle, so this could cause a little tiff there. I think his head’s spinning and he does not know what to expect, but I also think he kind of expects that from Stefano, for sure.”
As to how this will change and color Chad’s relationship with EJ, Floyd responded, “Chad knows EJ’s not happy about it and I think he’s going to be real upset if this gets in his way of doing what he wants to do with the DiMera legacy and all that. However, for Chad, I think he’s just going to keep a sharp eye, see what this guy’s about, see if he’s here to cause some trouble or here to be a friend and kinda play it by ear.”

Photo: JPI
BELLE OF MY HEART
With Chad and Belle already being sleuths, Floyd says, you can look for the duo to continue getting to the truth. “I think Chad and Belle are committed to this. They’re going full National Treasure, Nicolas Cage,” says Conner. “They’re going to follow the clues. They’re going to get some answers.”
Since beginning in the role of Chad in June of 2025 and debuting on-screen back in April of 2026, the former Y&R star (where he played Chance Chancellor), says it was Madison who helped him get comfortable in his new surroundings.
“Martha is phenomenal. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to get tagged up with when I started here, just because she knows everybody,” shares Floyd. “She knows where to go, who to talk to. She’ll get the tea if you want, and so it was kind of cool. Martha took me under her wing, showed me the ropes. She’s a sweetheart. I love working with her too. She’s a great actress.”
But, is Chad in love with Belle after such a tortured past with his beloved Abigail Deveraux DiMera? Floyd thinks so! “I think he’s into it. They’re such good friends and they have such a rich history. I think he’s in for the ride. You know, it’s one of those things you probably overlook at first and then they reconnected, and it feels easy and they’re going on these fun adventures.”
MAKING CHAD HIS OWN
Conner had the arduous task of being the successor to Billy Flynn in the role of Chad.. Flynn had played the part for 12 years before deciding to exit and head to Y&R. So, how did Conner approach learning the ins and out of Chad? Floyd shared, “I really dove into Chad when I first got this job. I liked that he kind of walks this tightrope of DiMera and not DiMera, you know. He want to so honor his family roots and really do something for the DiMera family, but he doesn’t want to fall into that trap that all the other DiMera have found themselves in. Chad is a DiMera at heart. He’s got those demons, but he’s just trying to keep them contained.”

Photo: JPI
ICONIC
When Floyd got to DAYS, it was none other than Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams) who most surprised him in the most delightful way, given that he knew Hayes was a Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award winner and the current longest-running cast member on the canvas.
“I love working with Susan Hayes! I love her. She’s a sweetheart. Susan is one of the nicest people there. I just thought she was cool and it’s Susan Hayes, you know? We’ve had a lot of scenes together, which is nice,” explained Conner.
“We’ll go to her dressing room, we’ll run our scenes, and then we’ll spend about an hour just talking about life and she’ll tell me about a book she’s reading. She’s such a history buff, which blows my mind. She’ll start dropping all these historical facts on me. I learn something new by the time I walk out of her dressing room every time!”
Now below, check out the full conversation with Conner Floyd via the Michael Fairman Channel.
Weigh-in: Do you like Chad and Belle as couple? Do you think Chad will get to the bottom of the Dominic Marino mystery? If so, do you think Dominic is truly Stefano and Marlena’s son … and what about Rita (Maggie Carney) in all this? Let us know your theories in the comment section.
Days Of Our Lives
‘Days of our Lives’ Rachel Boyd on the Return of Sophia Choi as She Makes Her Way To Salem: ‘I Wanted Her to Come Back Stronger Than Ever’

Next week on all-new episodes of Days of our Lives, the Peacock streaming soap opera will pick right back up from where Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) has tracked down a very much alive, Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd) in a diner in Kentucky. But what will happen when Sophia returns to her old stomping grounds of Salem?
In official spoilers for the week of October 12-16, look for Kristen to make a deal with the woman she supposedly killed, and by week’s end for the once-conniving Sophia to make her way back to Salem. Meanwhile, in a new interview with TV Insider heralding her return, Rachel Boyd, who did a tremendous job with Sophia’s original exit story, explains how she thinks this version of Sophia will be different than the last.
The exit story had Sophia setting out to kill Johnny DiMera (Carson Boatman) by a demand made by Kristen DiMera. Sophia failed to end Johny’s life and Kristen lured Sophia to the bridge and clunked her over the head with a rock and pushed her over the rails to the steely waters below.

Photo: Corday Productions
Sophia’s body was never found, but she was declared dead. At the time, Boyd thought Sophia might be ‘dead-dead’ but in soap opera’s and especially Days of our Lives, nobody really ever truly dies!
WHAT’S DIFFERENT WITH SOPHIA CHOI COME FALL OF 2026?
Reflecting on her first run, which featured many an emotional scene, Rachel recalled: “As crazy as some storylines can be, working on a soap opera is truly a boot camp in acting because you’re given one take and you have to tackle really hard circumstances.”
Those dramatic circumstances included: “Giving birth in my bedroom alone, penning a suicide note, or even attempting to murder someone by blowing him up are all things a younger version of myself would be so intimidated by,” expressed Boyd. “But I learned that preparation is everything and as long as I do the hard work before I show up to set, then I am capable of it.”
Rachel ended her first run back in December of 2025, but due to DAYS tape schedule, the character of Sophia “died” five months ago on episodes on Peacock. Once she returned to the set for her second-go round, it was all systems go. “It was more like being thrown into the deep end, which honestly worked for me. I enjoy working under pressure and with momentum.”
The actress hopes viewers will see the internal change with the character as things move forward. “I knew I wanted her to feel distinctly different,” she explained. “I’ve always tried to keep the character constantly evolving and changing as she experiences new things and responds to trauma. But now that the audience hasn’t seen her for months, I had a great opportunity to fill in those blanks for myself and come back in a whole new way.”
DAYS fans should really began to notice the change on next week’s episodes. “I wanted her to come back stronger than ever,” admits Boyd. “Now that she’s survived a near-death experience and kept herself alive and hidden for six months, this version of Sophia is going to be much more independent and a fighter. I can’t say exactly what is going to happen, but as long as Sophia’s alive, chaos will follow!”
So, are you glad that Rachel Boyd is back as Days of our Lives Sophia Choi? What do you think she will do once she gets back to Salem? Turn a new leaf or be back to her scheming ways? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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