Actor Donnie Wahlberg says moving Danny Reagan from BLUE BLOODS to BOSTON BLUE meant learning a new set of family-dinner rules: this time, he is a guest.
“We can’t just show up and sit anywhere we want,” Wahlberg said, explaining how he brings Danny into the Silver family’s traditions.
At the Reagan table, Danny could push buttons and challenge his father, Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, played by actor Tom Selleck. Wahlberg says he made that choice from the very first dinner scene, which he recalled was also the first scene the BLUE BLOODS cast shot.
“He just has to be willing to step on everyone’s toes at any given moment, and make Frank mad at him for the character to work,” the actor said of the friction Danny brought to meals with his own family.
BOSTON BLUE changes his place in the room. Danny joins a different household rather than setting the tone in his own, and Wahlberg told EW that working within those boundaries challenged him as an actor.
His solution was not to make the new dinner table a copy of the old one. Instead, he spoke up about giving the Silver family its own habits, including who chooses the seats and where everyone belongs.
Related: BLUE BLOODS’ Donnie Wahlberg Explains the Significance Behind the Show’s Family Dinners
He described the contrast in simple terms: he loved the old dinner-table dynamic but had already spent 14 years playing it. The new household gave Danny familiar family ties without the same home-field advantage.
Wahlberg pointed to actress Gloria Reuben’s character, Boston District Attorney Mae Silver, as the authority at this table. If Mae wants her daughters beside her, he explained, that choice should shape the scene rather than having the actors simply take whichever chairs they like.
The comparison also gave Wahlberg a practical way to think about parenting. He told EW that parents learn something about how they have raised their children by seeing how those children behave in someone else’s home, and he applied that idea to Danny’s change of surroundings.
As CBS’ second-season description explains, Danny’s police partner, Detective Lena Silver, belongs to a family already deeply involved in Boston’s public life. Actress Sonequa Martin-Green plays Lena, while actress Maggie Lawson plays Police Superintendent Sarah Silver.
Actor Ernie Hudson plays Baptist pastor Reverend Edwin Peters, whose advice helps ground the family. Danny also has his own fatherhood responsibilities: his son Sean, played by actor Mika Amonsen, is finding his way as a Boston police officer.
The dinner-table connection is familiar territory for longtime fans. Movieguide® reported in January on Wahlberg’s enthusiasm for the BLUE BLOODS meals and the way eating helped him play Danny’s headstrong personality.
This interview adds a different question: how does that same outspoken man behave when the traditions belong to another family? Wahlberg’s answer puts the attention on respecting the host, not letting Danny dominate every room he enters.
Viewers can watch that adjustment continue in the second season of BOSTON BLUE. New episodes air on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with streaming available on Paramount+.
Read Next: How You Can Have Dinner at the BLUE BLOODS Family Table
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