Greg Vaughan On Eric Brady's 'Days Of Our Lives' Return And ...

Fans of daytime dramas are used to comings and goings of favorite characters but starting Friday there’ll be a very welcome return on NBC’s Days of Our Lives in the form of Eric Brady (Greg Vaughan). Except for a brief return over the holidays to help his mother Marlena (Deidre Hall) get rid of a possessed devil, Eric hasn’t been in Salem much—but that’s about to change.

Vaughan told TV Insider during a recent chat that Eric has some catching up to do when he gets back to Salem and we’ll see him immediately surprise at least one resident—his ex-wife Nicole (Arianne Zucker). “There’s a bit of an adjustment and you never know where all the storylines have bled off to and strayed off,” he says of what will no doubt be a fascinating homecoming across the board. But, he adds, it’s been a mighty happy reunion on the set where he’s played the former priest since 2012, “It’s always been such a family [at Days].”

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One big question first off is, will Eric show up in a white collar, or are those days behind him? Vaughan says there’s definitely a benefit to Eric still being in touch with his priestly past. “It seems to be part one, two and three of this rollercoaster of a ride that Salem has been going through,” he says. “Satan in Salem has been going through possessing bodies left and right [and] Eric has been working at the ministry a little bit more.”

All the devil drama aside, there’s also the matter of interacting with ex-wives and seeing where things stand between ‘Ericole’ (the diehard fans’ shipper name for the couple)—like in Friday’s episode. “There’s no way of avoiding anybody in Salem,” Vaughan says. “The thing is, Eric left [Salem] knowing what he had done. He caused a storm and ruffled some feathers so I think he’s very aware that he wants to stay a little bit removed and give [Nicole] the space she deserves and sometimes it’s the betterment of someone else’s happiness before your own.” As nice and dignified as all that sounds, don’t expect things to stay that way for very long as Vaughan teases. In the world of a soap opera, there’s always drama on the horizon.

Watch the interview with Vaughan above.

Days of Our Lives, Weekdays, NBC and Peacock