Claim: Jensen Ackles played a character in Days of Our Lives.

Eric Brady is a fictional character from the NBC Daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives , portrayed by Greg Vaughan from 2012 until his exit in 2016 . Vaughan reprised the role in January 2017 , following a discussion between him and executives at Days of Our Lives .   Created by head writers , Margaret DePriest , Sheri Anderson and Thom Racina , Eric is the only son of supercouple , Roman Brady and Marlena Evans . Introduced onscreen by Betty Corday and Al Rabin in 1984 along with his twin sister , Sami Brady , the twins are rapidly aged , and Jensen Ackles stepped into the role of the teenage Eric in 1997 . Eric 's saintly behavior immediately sets him up as the better half to his very troubled sister Sami . Eric falls in love with Nicole Walker ; however the relationship ends in heartbreak which leads to Eric 's departure .   In 2012 , Vaughan stepped into the role and the character is re-introduced as a priest . He also reconnects with a now-reformed Nicole and even works with his mother 's longtime rival Kristen DiMera to help establish a new school in Salem . The dynamic leads to a constant struggle between Eric and Nicole , as both still seem to have strong feelings for each other .