Wahlberg and Moynahan played siblings on the long-running series

Donnie Wahlberg is always glad to have Bridget Moynahan by his side.

Wahlberg, 56, opened up about his bond with Moynahan, 54, on Oct. 14 at a special screening of his new series Boston Blue in New York City. Boston Blue is a spin-off of Blue Bloods, which Wahlberg and Moynahan starred in as siblings. The series, which premiered in 2010, ran for 14 seasons, ending in December 2024.

During a Q&A with costar Sonequa Martin-Green after a screening of the series’ first episode, the moderator asked Wahlberg about how Moynahan credited Wahlberg with helping to “nudge her” into joining Blue Bloods, where she played ADA Erin Reagan.

“As I read Blue Bloods, I got offered the part of Danny Reagan and I couldn’t imagine anyone in the world playing my sister besides her,” Wahlberg said. “When I called her to ask her to do it, she said, ‘I already passed on that job.’ ”

Wahlberg wouldn’t take that as an answer. “And I was like, ‘Well, come back. It’s gonna be with me now.’ ” She changed her mind and joined the series, which also starred Will Estes, Len Cariou and Tom Selleck. Before Blue Bloods, Wahlberg and Moynahan had previously appeared together in the 2009 TV movie Bunker Hill.

Wahlberg also called Moynahan “one of the unsung heroes” of Boston Blue and his decision to join the spin-off, which sees Danny Reagan head north to Boston

“When I was deciding to do the show, I called her and she was so sisterly in the conversation,” he said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh wow,’ or, ‘Oh, what about me?’ ” Instead, she helped him question what he wanted to do. “She gave a real honest conversation and it was no ego involved. It was just my friend and sister talking to me about it and challenging me,” he said. Though Moynahan is not part of the series’ main cast, she makes a special guest appearance in the premiere. She also directed an episode.

Back in April 2024, Moynahan reflected on the end of Blue Bloods during an episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.

“I think it’s more saying goodbye to the people behind the characters,” she said. “We’ve created such a family on set with each other and the crew — most of the crew’s been with us for 14 years, so we’ve been through a lot of weddings, births, deaths, and everything. We’ve been through it all with each other.”

She called Wahlberg her “biggest supporter” during the show and credited him for supporting her when she wanted to direct her first Blue Blood episode.

He remembered, “Somebody came to me early on, someone said, ‘Oh, Bridget wants to direct,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, and? She’s gonna do it, right?’ ”

He continued, “It was like, do you think there’s anything that she can’t do? She’s been lights out, phenomenal, she’s so… When you do what we do, you just know, and she just stepped right in and is so good.”