Donnie Wahlberg and the rest of the cast and crew of “Blue Bloods” have been working hard to keep the show on the air after 14 seasons. The series aired its final episode Friday night.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, the “Very Scary People” host opened up about the emotional final dinner scene and the eerie silence that fell over the set after the final “cut” was shouted.
“I think one thing that I think about sometimes is when we finished shooting this scene, the whole crew went into the Reagan house. And we all stood around. There were a couple hundred people standing there. And it was silence for a minute.
“I think there was a long pause after they said ‘cut.’ And I think we were all standing there or sitting there hoping that, A, someone would say, ‘Hey, it was all a joke. We’ll keep shooting more episodes.’ Or B, everyone was hesitant because we knew once someone started talking, we’d all get emotional,” Wahlberg said.
Donnie Wahlberg played Det. Danny Reagan on 14 seasons of “Blue Bloods.” (CBS)
“I think one of the things we haven’t really talked about is that we’ve been working for so long with the crew that we had in New York City. Personally, I — and I’m sure some of my co-stars — felt bad. I felt sad. Like, we tried to keep the show going. We tried to keep the show going, but we couldn’t. You know, we did everything we could, everything in our power. to keep performing.”
Wahlberg told Fox News Digital that he’s grateful for the crew he’s worked with for more than a decade and can’t help but feel like the cast is “letting them down a little bit.”
“I feel sad. Like, we tried to keep the show going. We tried to keep the show going and we couldn’t. We couldn’t. You know, we did everything we could, everything in our power.” , to keep the show going.”
— Donnie Wahlberg
“It was hard. It was hard to process, you know. And I know the crew wouldn’t feel that way. But in some ways, we still believed that we were going to continue the show. When that finale ended, it was like reality hit us all. That was definitely part of it, like, ‘Oh my God, you know, if we could have gone on for a few more years, you know?
Donnie Wahlberg films “Blue Bloods” in March 2019. (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
“We were so close to that crew, and you know, they have families and mortgages and a lot of responsibilities. It was a great feeling to go to work every day knowing that hundreds of New Yorkers who worked on this show had these careers that we were a part of. And just knowing that it was over, it was hard. I’m sure it was scary for them,” Wahlberg said.
Wahlberg recalls his time on “Blue Bloods.”
“We worked hard to represent New Yorkers and the NYPD, and we worked hard to sustain the show and keep it interesting for 14 years. And there’s a lot to say goodbye to. Sometimes, from the outside, it can be, it seems weird, like, ‘Oh, all these actors are crying because their show is over.’ But we became a family, and we became a family with the crew. And saying goodbye to them was emotional,” Wahlberg said.
Donnie Wahlberg said he “felt sorry” for his cast members after the finale of “Blue Bloods.” (Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
CBS aired the final episode of “Blue Bloods” on Friday, December 13. The hit series stars Wahlberg, Tom Selleck, Will Estes and Bridget Moynahan.
Wahlberg has had some memorable moments with Selleck over the years.
The boy band star-turned-actor has been open about calling Selleck “dad,” but the most memorable moment for him was when Selleck called him “son” for the first time.
“I’ll never forget it. I was sitting in the dressing room. He was walking down the hall. He had just finished his own scene and I was about to start my scene. He said, ‘Hey, son,’ and kept walking. We’ve been calling each other father and son ever since,” Wahlberg said.
