‘There Was Crying’: Blue Bloods Star Reflects on Filming Final Scene for Series Finale

‘There Was Crying’: Blue Bloods Star Reflects on Filming Final Scene for Series Finale

The Reagans of Blue Bloods is one of TV’s most-admired families. Lead star Tom Selleck confirmed the show’s ensemble will cherish their familial bonds now that the show is confirmed to end.

Tom Selleck revealed his devotion to Blue Bloods in a candid interview with TV Insider. He played one of TV’s best patriarchs Frank Reagan throughout the show’s 14-year run, adding to an impressive career highlighted by roles in Friends, Magnum P.I., and Boston Legal. Selleck was adamant that Blue Bloods is good for more seasons despite CBS’ decision to cancel the show after 14 seasons; he made sure to be present during the series’ final day of filming even though he was not part of any of the sequences shot. “I watched the last scenes with Bridget [Moynahan] and Steve [Schirripa] and then Donnie and Marisa [Ramirez]” he said. “It was hard, but I didn’t want to just stay home; I wanted to be there, and I felt an obligation to share the experience.”

Blue Bloods was often a gritty police procedural and crime drama, but its main appeal is the Reagan family’s tightly-knit bonds. Selleck revealed the same while recalling the final scene he filmed for the series. “My last scene was ironically [a] family dinner; that was also the first scene I shot on the show 15 years ago!” he asserted. “I’m not going to tell you everything about the last episode…but the family dinner kind of reunites the Reagan family. Erin’s daughter Nicky (Sami Gayle) was there and so was Jack (Tony Terraciano) Danny’s older son. Everybody agreed with me that we should close the set for the family dinner and not exploit that. Most of them had four more days to shoot, but not me.”

The Blue Bloods Cast Developed Familial Bonds During Filming
Selleck confirmed the chemistry between Blue Bloods’ ensemble was authentic, and that has only gotten stronger through the years. The actor saw that at the get-go and nurtured it. “You set a tone early, and I’m proud to say I had something to do with that, having had such a good experience on Magnum [P.I.],” he said. “On Blue Bloods, in some ways, I was the patriarch of the actor Reagan family. They knew I [had worked on a long-running show before] so I had some credibility when problems came up. It helped, I think.”

Reflecting on the mood of his last day of filming, Selleck recalled it seemed to happen so fast and ended without warning. “We were shooting for hours and all of a sudden, they said ‘Well, that was the last shot,’” he said. “I always wanted to say this poem, ‘Love Is Not All’ by Edna St. Vincent Millay. There was crying and there was an enormous amount of hugs. Donnie was really broken up; he didn’t say much. Bridget spoke. Just about everybody said something. Vanessa [Ray] was pretty beat up by the experience.” Blue Bloods may be ending but that comes with a silver lining; CBS has hinted it’s considering a spinoff with original characters possibly returning.