Donnie Wahlberg has brought Danny Reagan to life for years, both on Blue Bloods and more recently on Boston Blue. As an actor, Wahlberg has invested a lot in the character and his work on the franchise. In fact, he recently shared something that he was willing to sacrifice half of his paycheck for.
Donnie Wahlberg Recently Shared The Story On Andy Cohen Live
Wahlberg is a singer and actor. For many, one of his most prominent roles was playing NYPD Detective Danny Reagan on Blue Bloods, which premiered in 2010.
Following the series’ end, Wahlberg reprised his role on the spin-off, Boston Blue. On the show, Danny moves to Boston to be close to his son Sean after he is injured on the job with the Boston Police Department.
When it comes to filming, exterior shots are filmed in Boston. However, most of the show’s filming takes place in Toronto, Canada. However, Wahlberg himself was interested in filming in the real place, which also happens to be his hometown.
In fact, during an April 23 appearance on Andy Cohen Live, Wahlberg shared that the Boston setting really got him interested in doing the spin-off. “I got offered the job, I’m like, ‘This is a dream come true.’ I thought, I’ll do a spinoff in L.A. or Vegas or Texas, somewhere hot. And they were like, ‘How about Boston?’ I was like, ‘Ahhhh.’ They hooked me.”
Money Wasn’t The Only Reason Boston Blue Couldn’t Film In Its Namesake Location
However, the actor learned that it wouldn’t be financially feasible to actually film in Boston beyond exterior shots. Wahlberg shared that he was even willing to foot the bill if it could change the production team’s mind to change filming locations.
As Wahlberg shared, “They were like, ‘But we can’t afford to shoot it in Boston. We’re gonna shoot it in Toronto.’ I was like, ‘No, no.’ I said, ‘Listen, I’ll give back 50% of my paycheck if we can go to Boston.’ I did. And they said, ‘You can give back 100%. And so can the rest of the cast. We cannot film this show in Boston.’”
While it was ultimately deemed too “expensive” to film in Beantown, there was another issue at play. As Wahlberg recounted, “Honestly, Andy, we can’t film it in Boston full time because it’s nonstop… Literally, the duck boats are going by, and the tour guides have on these headsets with speakers.”
Wahlberg continued, “And it’s literally in the background of a scene you hear, ‘Oh my God, there’s Donnie Wahlberg. Right over there on the corner…’” Between posing for photos and his family, Wahlberg felt that they just couldn’t get any work done.
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.