Did you know that actress Bridget Moynahan initially turned down her role on “Blue Bloods”? However, Donnie Wahlberg convinced her to reconsider.
Now that “Blue Bloods” has been a hit show for 11 seasons it’s easy to think that all the actors were elated to start filming back in season one. But that’s not actually the case. In fact, actress Bridget Moynahan, who plays Erin Reagan on the show initially turned down the opportunity.
Bridget Moynahan made her acting debut in the 1999 film “Row Your Boat.” But it wasn’t until she played Natasha, Mr. Big’s wife on “Sex and the City” that she got her big break. She then continued to rise in fame after playing the character Amy in the film “Coyote Ugly.” She also appeared in several films including “The Sum of All Fears,” “I Robot,” “Lord of War,” “Serendipity,” and “John Wick.”
In 2006, after years away, Moynahan returned to television to play Whitney Crane on the series “Six Degrees.” And just a few years later, she was offered her role on “Blue Bloods.”
However, at the same time that she received the role, Moynahan was also newly navigating motherhood. She had her then three-year-old son, John Edward Thomas Moynahan. And she was hesitant to spend time away from him. So, Donnie Wahlberg, who plays Moynahan’s brother Danny Reagan on the show, did what all good brothers do, he convinced her to take the role.
How Donnie Wahlberg Convinced Bridget Moynahan To Join ‘Blue Bloods’
Not only did Bridget Moynahan almost not join the show, but the entire series also almost didn’t get picked up. In fact, during an interview in 2019, Wahlberg revealed that he initially received news that the show wasn’t going to air.
“We were told that the show wasn’t going to go to series on a Friday,” said Wahlberg. “And by Sunday I was told, ‘You better get to New York, the show is going to series.”
Wahlberg also shared exactly how he convinced his “Blue Bloods” co-star to take the role as his on-screen sister. He said that he made Moynahan an “offer she couldn’t refuse.”
“I called Bridget Moynahan but she said ‘I already turned it down, I’m not going to do it,'” said Wahlberg. “I begged and pleaded and made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. Which was that I would give her all of my paychecks if we weren’t able to shoot in New York. So, thank God we shot in New York.”
