Even while most network procedurals follow a similar pattern, the finest ones have their own distinct flavor that sets them apart from the crowd. In the case of Blue Bloods, a CBS cop drama, the show is all about family. The Reagans, a New York City clan that includes detectives, police commissioners, and assistant district attorney Erin Reagan, played by actress and model Bridget Moynahan, are at the core of the action.
Moynahan has been on Blue Bloods from the first episode, bringing a focused intensity to a cast of characters who are infamous for letting their moods get the best of them. Around the famous Reagan family dinner table, Erin is frequently the contemplative one who only speaks when she has something important to say; Moynahan’s measured performance stands in stark contrast to her father, Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), and hot-headed brother, Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg).
Despite the fact that she believes she is essential to the realism of the Reagan family as a unit – and thus the show’s success – Moynahan almost didn’t take on the role of Erin for one very good reason. Why did the actress almost miss out on what would become one of her most legendary roles?
The real-life family of Bridget Moynahan came first.
It goes without saying that working on a network TV drama may be a full-time job. Being on a famous show is both a blessing and a curse: it means a stable and well-paying employment, but it also means working long hours to satisfy the sometimes 20-plus episode orders per season. Moynahan almost rejected down the job on Blue Bloods because of the lengthy hours. She was particularly concerned about how taking on the role would effect her ability to spend time with her son, Jack, whom she shared with ex-boyfriend Tom Brady (via Watch! Magazine).
Donnie Wahlberg, Moynahan’s would-be co-star and friend, eventually persuaded her to join the cast. In 2011, he told Watch! Magazine, “I contacted Bridget and said, ‘You’re doing this!’… I urged her—and I convinced her that it would be shot in New York.” Moynahan believed she could make it work despite the long hours because she was born nearby and has family in the New York City region.
Nonetheless, the Blue Bloods opportunity came on the heels of a very tough moment for Moynahan and her family.
Bridget Moynahan’s difficult situation
Just three years before the premiere of Blue Bloods, Moynahan was going through any celebrity’s worst nightmare: a public breakup with a high-profile ex. That ex in Moynahan’s instance was football legend Tom Brady. The fact that Moynahan was pregnant with Brady’s child at the time of their split complicated matters even more, as Brady had already begun dating his current wife, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen.
Moynahan described the difficulties of juggling a pregnancy and a breakup in a June 2008 interview with Harper’s Bazaar: “Going through that horrific time of heartbreak and then pregnancy flipped my entire life upside down and inside out, knocking the wind out of me.”
However, the event ended in broadening the actress’ perceptions. “I’m a traditional girl, and I believe in marriage, and I just always thought that’s the way I’d be doing this,” Moynahan added. “It took a while for me to accept that this was the only way I was going to have a family.” I’ve had to acknowledge that there are simply so many diverse possibilities available today.”
How Bridget Moynahan’s second family became Blue Bloods
Despite her reservations about joining the cast of Blue Bloods, Moynahan is plainly delighted she did so now that the show is in its tenth season. “The show feels like family now,” she told Watch! Magazine in an interview.
As Wahlberg stated, shooting in New York was a blessing for Moynahan. In a 2014 interview with The Aquarian, she said, “It’s also unique to shoot the show right in the city [New York], because we all live here.” It’s very different from being on location when you’re apart from your family and from your house. In that case, the ensemble tends to spend more time together. Every day, we all go home to our families after work, but when we return, it’s almost as if it’s an extension of our family life.”
Although Moynahan almost didn’t accept her job on Blue Bloods in order to spend more time with her family, it appears that by accepting it, she got exactly what she wanted.
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