The fan-favorite actor shares why he plans to stay in Salem and keep playing Brady Black for years to come.
Key Points
- Eric Martsolf affirms his dedication to playing Brady Black on Days of our Lives.
- He sees a positive future for daytime soap operas, citing renewed industry optimism.
- “I’ll be your Brady till the end of this train,” Martsolf promises, expressing confidence.
Days of our Lives fan-favorite Eric Martsolf, who has played Brady Black since 2008, has entertained daytime audiences for nearly twenty years. Now, with the soap’s 60th anniversary quickly approaching, the Daytime Emmy nominee is making headlines for a bold declaration about his future on the Peacock drama.
Speaking with JLJ Media’s Candice Mack at the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, Mar Martsolf was asked, in honor of National Soap Opera Day (October 20), what the genre means to him. “Persistence.” Martsolf replied.
Reflecting on the history of daytime drama, Martsolf acknowledged how the genre had struggled in recent years, with several long-running soaps, Passions, Guiding Light, As the World Turns, All My Children and One Life to Live, all coming to an end between 2007 and 2013. “A couple years ago, I think everybody was worried. We saw our shows kept going down in number.”
Martsolf pointed to a turning point for daytime television in 2024, when CBS, in partnership with the NAACP and Procter and Gamble, greenlit Beyond the Gates, the first new daytime drama since Passions debuted in 1999. “Now we got this little engine that could called Beyond the Gates that is making shock waves,” he said. “Networks are starting to realize that there is still power in this demographic and this loyalty that we have. This group of fans around the world ain’t going nowhere.”
Looking ahead, Martsolf expressed optimism about where daytime television is headed. “I think our genre is on the rise and I’m totally freaking excited about it,” he said. “Because I’m all in.”
Martsolf also revealed that he’s committed to staying with Days of Our Lives for the long-haul. “I’ve told Ken Corday [Executive Producer] and the powers that be that I’ll be your Brady till the end of this train, when it crashes into the station,” he said with a laugh. Still, he doesn’t think that the end is coming anytime soon. “I gotta be honest with you, I don’t think we’re crashing anytime soon. It sounds like we’re just going to keep going.”
Days of Our Lives streams new episodes weekdays on Peacock.
