User:Nk3play2/Eric Brady

Eric Brady is a fictional character from the American soap opera Days of Our Lives on the NBC network. Eric was written into the series in October 1984 as son of Roman Brady (Josh Taylor) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), and twin brother to Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney).

Actor Jensen Ackles, who would later shoot to stardom in the role of Dean Winchester on the primetime drama Supernatural, made his debut as the young adult Eric on July 28, 1997.

2012–2016
Eric (Vaughan) returns to Salem in 2012 now a priest at Saint Luke's Church. Eric hires Nicole as the church secretary and confides in her about the violence he witnessed working as a photographer in the Congo.

Having been released for good behavior, Eric finds Hope Brady (Kristian Alfonso) near death after she escapes from prison. He helps her recover and hide from the police.

Casting
In June 1997, it was announced that daytime newcomer Jensen Ackles had been cast in the role of Eric and was slated to make his debut in July 1997. Ackles auditioned for the role of Eric several times before he was actually hired. During the extensive audition process, Ackles struggled with whether he was ready to commit to acting full time or attending college at Texas Tech University – where he had already registered for courses. "So I had to decide between packing up, leaving Los Angeles, and going on with my original plan or taking this huge opportunity." He continued, "It was a really hard decision."

Early storylines (1997–2000)
When the character is reintroduced in 1997, Ackles' Eric is paired with Nicole Walker.