Donnie Wahlberg has played Danny Reagan on the popular police procedural “Blue Bloods” since Season 1. Danny is a detective for the New York City Police Department and is known for his brash and reactive personality as the eldest son of Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck). Because of his audacity, he frequently straddles the line between illegal and legal. His investigations frequently yield fruitful results, even if they are sometimes obtained through dubious means.
Danny’s life has been marked by tragedy and hardship despite having a close-knit family and support structure. The character served as a Marine in Iraq and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of his combat experience. Later in the series, he suffers a huge loss when his wife, Linda Reagan (Amy Carlson), d1es off-screen in a helicopter accident between Seasons 7 and 8. Wahlberg is married to Jenny McCarthy, who once assisted her actor-husband with a difficult plot in “Blue Bloods.” So, exactly what did she do to inspire Wahlberg?
Jenny McCarthy is fascinated by Danny Reagan’s personal struggles and inner conflicts.
Donnie Wahlberg opened up to CBS’ Watch about the difficulties of playing Danny at his lowest emotional point following the d3ath of his wife Linda. “When Danny wants to quit, I resist. “It’s difficult for me,” the actor admitted. He went on to say, “We don’t like self-pity.” It’s the worst game ever.” However, a remark from Wahlberg’s wife Jenny McCarthy helped him put the incident in context.
In terms of Danny’s post-Linda storylines, Wahlberg revealed that McCarthy made a reference to a previous episode in the series in which Danny considered leaving the police force in order to take a better-paying job as a security guard: “And she said, ‘That was my favorite episode I ever saw, before I even met you.’” That the guy is going to quit and work to support his family—that struggle fascinates me.”
McCarthy’s comments appear to have assisted Wahlberg in coming to terms with his character’s difficulties. “But I welcome the challenge,” he continued. ‘OK, let me try to play that Danny’s thinking about quitting, but avoid the self-pity and just make it more matter-of-fact,’ I’ll say.
Though fans didn’t get the exact closure they were hoping for between Danny and Linda, Wahlberg’s portrayal of the character was greatly influenced by his real-life wife and helped add depth to the eldest Reagan child as he focuses on what is best for his family, regardless of personal feelings.