Blue Bloods will end in less than a week, wrapping up the Reagan family’s 14-year TV legacy. Donnie Wahlberg recalled how difficult it was for the cast on their last day of filming.
Donnie Wahlberg will play Detective Danny Reagan for the last time this week, in Blue Bloods‘ series finale. The actor reprised the role for 14 years, half of his entire acting career. He told Entertainment Weekly the cast was emotional while filming that final episode, especially their last scenes with each other. “We were all walking this real delicate tightrope during the finale, knowing that it was the last episode and feeling very emotional each day,” he said. “If it was my last day with Marisa Ramirez on set, and we know it is, there’s going to be a whole wave of emotion surrounding that. If it’s our last day filming outside in the streets of New York, there’s processing that, right?”
Wahlberg described that day as a rollercoaster of emotions; everyone wanted to cherish every moment. “I don’t remember as much what was happening on camera as I remember what was happening off camera,” he continued. “I think the audience is going to naturally bring a similar energy to the episode, so they may pick up on our energy because they’re going to bring their own energy to sitting down and watching it for them.”
I don’t remember as much what was happening on camera as I remember what was happening off camera.
While fans noted how the Blue Bloods characters’ arcs were somewhat rushed to finish in the recent episodes, Wahlberg assures a cathartic (and tearful) finale for audiences who tuned in to the show for an impressive 14 seasons.
Donnie Wahlberg Reflects On Blue Bloods’ Last Dinner Scene
“We definitely went to work every day knowing it was the last episode and tried to hold back the tears and the emotion — and the audience will probably do the same,” he asserted. “And I think by the time that last dinner scene comes around, it might be tough to not hold it back anymore.” Tom Selleck echoed Wahlberg’s sentiment in a previous interview; he said the last scene he filmed was difficult to get through. “My last scene was ironically [a] family dinner; that was also the first scene I shot on the show 15 years ago!” he told TV Insider. He admitted that his attachment to his co-stars has become a familial bond, and that he was present throughout that final filming day to watch every sequence shot.
Wahlberg said the most emotional part of that last dinner scene was the moment they wrapped it up. No one wanted to stand up from the table or even break the silence that followed. “We all just kind of sat there for a long time, and I think everyone was hesitating to say something to say goodbye because A, nobody wanted to, and B, everyone knew once somebody starts talking, it’s a wrap,” he recalled. Awed at the opportunity to work with Selleck for 14 years, that’s what broke Wahlberg down. “I started crying and didn’t stop for a few hours,” he added. “..Somehow my life’s journey had taken me to this moment, and I just couldn’t help but feel incredibly blessed and incredibly grateful in that moment.“
Blue Bloods may be ending its run, but its story will reportedly continue in a spin-off focused on Detective Abigail Baker (played by Abigail Hawk), who has been a recurring mainstay in the show since Season 1.
