Donnie Wahlberg is speaking out this week to reveal the downside of filming his television show Boston Blue in his hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.
Wahlberg Talks Filming Boston Blue
Wahlberg, 56, stars in Boston Blue as Danny Reagan. He originated this character on Blue Bloods, which ran from 2010 until 2024.
Wahlberg films Boston Blue in his hometown of Boston. While Wahlberg enjoys filming there for the most part, there’s one major difficulty that comes with it.
During an interview on Live with Kelly and Mark on Wednesday, Wahlberg said that “it’s crazy” filming in Boston.
“We don’t get anything shot. Every take, I’m literally saying, ‘Give me your hand, sir, you’re under arrest,’ and it’s like, ‘Donnie! Donnie,'” Wahlberg explained.
“The duck boat tours, which are very famous in Boston, they drive by and have a headset on with a speaker,” he continued. “And it’s literally like, ‘Over there, you’ll see Donnie Wahlberg in the wild. He grew up three doors down from me, I knew his mother, God rest her soul.'”
Host Kelly Ripa replied by revealing that she once got an earful about the Wahlbergs on a boat tour. She then recommended that the family get “their own” duck boat.
Wahlberg’s Boston Accent
Wahlberg’s character in Boston Blue is an NYPD veteran who winds up working for the Boston Police Department in an effort to be closer to his son Sean (Mika Amonsen). While starring on Blue Bloods for fourteen years, Wahlberg had to get rid of his Boston accent so that he could play someone from Brooklyn. Despite this, he admitted that his “accent does sneak out at times.”
“The good news is I filmed Blue Bloods here in New York for 14 years and the New Yorkers never let up on me,” Wahlberg stated. “If the Patriots lost to the Giants, I’d show up to work the next day, [there’d be] posters, newspaper clippings plastered all over. They’d never let up on me.”
“So they taught me how to bring that to Boston and tease Bostonians, even though I am one,” he added.
Boston Blue Returning For Season Two
Last month, Wahlberg told People Magazine that he had “the pleasure of calling all my castmates and telling them” that Boston Blue had been renewed for a second season.
“I did it, and every cast member got tears in their eyes, every single one of them, and so did I,” he said. “And when I called Jenny [McCarthy] and told her about that, we shared a nice cry.”
Wahlberg has been married to McCarthy, 53, since 2014.
“Well, I’m an EP too, so I said as one of the EPs, I’d like to be the one to tell them. And everyone agreed,” Wahlberg concluded.
Blue Bloods was long one of the only shows on television that promoted both law enforcement and family values. Though we still miss it dearly, we’re glad that Boston Blue is also still promoting both of those things.
Given how down to earth he is, we can certainly see why the people of Boston can’t resist calling out to Wahlberg when they see him filming Boston Blue.
God bless you, Donnie Wahlberg!