EXCLUSIVE: Jacob Martinez has been tapped to join Days of Our Lives in the role of Javier “Javi” Hernández.
The role of Javi was portrayed by Al Calderon, who left the Peacock sudser to join NBC’s Brilliant Minds.
Martinez’s first episode on DOOL will air on June 30, 2026.
Javi exited Salem amid his breakup with Leo Stark [Greg Rikaart] and after learning his father, Gabriel, had suffered a heart attack.
Martinez joins the Peacock soap after starring in the musical In Pieces: The Musical at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater. The actor was hand-picked by Joey Contreras to play the role of Grey, in which he co-starred alongside Stephanie Torns (Waitress, Wicked), Antonio Cipriano (Jagged Little Pill, Off Campus), and Nathan Levy (& Juliet, Dear Evan Hansen).
Other acting credits for Martinez include the Erwin Ordoñez-directed short Memory Swim and the play Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead, where he played CB.
Martinez is a native of Norfolk, Nebraska and began performing at a young age, including appearances at the Johnny Carson Theatre. The actor will now film Days of Our Lives at the Burbank Studios, where Carson filmed The Tonight Show.
Martinez is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) and is represented by AKA Talent Agency and Impact Artists Group.