Brandon Butler is on his second tour at Days of our Lives. The actor, who previously played the spirit of Bo and Hope’s late son, Zack, in 2025, is now portraying Salem college student Mason Whitfield.
What You Need to Know
Born and raised in Frankfort, Illinois, a small village near Chicago, Butler grew up playing competitive sports. He also developed an interest in acting early on, so he began dividing his time between the baseball field and basketball court and auditioning for commercial work and theater. Ultimately, he moved to Los Angeles to focus on acting full-time, and is best known for his work on the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why (as Scott Reed) and Trinkets (as Brady Finch).
Want to know more about the actor? Here are seven things to know about Brandon Butler.
1. Butler first realized he was interested in acting after going to see the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone with his mother, grandmother, and brother. “At the time, I didn’t know too much about Harry Potter—I was only seven or eight—but my mom and grandma read all the books,” Butler shared during an interview with pop culturalist. “I remember going to see it, and I wanted to do what Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) was doing. My grandma and mom were like, ‘You want to go to Hogwarts?’ I was like, ‘No, no, no. I want to do whatever he’s doing. I want to act!’”
2. One of Butler’s earliest childhood credits was for the fast-food chain McDonald’s. He appeared on a Happy Meal toy poster for Duel Masters.
3. Butler was actually supposed to go play college baseball. He had a scholarship and an offer, but decided to move to Los Angeles instead. He was determined to follow his heart and give acting a shot.
4. Not surprisingly, the former baseball player has become a huge baseball fan. He currently roots for the Chicago White Sox.
5. Speaking of baseball, his favorite book is connected to the sport. When questioned on the subject by Pop Culturalist in 2019, Butler immediately answered, “Derek Jeter’s biography.” (He’s referring to The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter by Ian O’Connor released in 2011.) “I read it back in high school and did a paper on it. It’s about his life and how he handles himself with a quiet confidence. That’s something I’d like to have in my life. His morals and what he stands for really spoke to me.
6. He made his daytime debut on General Hospital back in 2016. It was a one-day guest spot, and he portrayed Frat Boy #1.
7. Butler originally auditioned for the role of Alex on 13 Reasons Why, when the series began assembling its cast in 2016. “Ever since then, I followed up on the show and watched all of season 1 on Netflix and became a fan of it myself,” he revealed to seventeen.com. “Then, the opportunity to audition for Scott came about and, long story short, I was able to book it.”
