Donnie Wahlberg reflects on filming final “Blue Bloods” dinner scene: 'I started crying and didn't stop'

There's just one more Reagan family dinner left on the table.

After 14 seasons, Blue Bloods will air its final episode Friday, Dec. 13. The CBS procedural will draw to a close with its 293rd episode, "End of Line," the 18th episode of the final season. The official logline for the episode teases: "It’s all hands on deck for the Reagan family, as they race to stop deadly mayhem in the city when the gangs of New York unite together to demand amnesty for the release of their imprisoned members and those awaiting trial, in the historic series finale."

Ahead of next week's bittersweet conclusion, Entertainment Weekly sat down with Donnie Wahlberg to talk the Blue Bloods finale, including the intense emotions on set as the cast and crew said goodbye to the Reagans.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was it like to shoot this final episode of Blue Bloods?

DONNIE WAHLBERG: We were all walking this real delicate tightrope during the finale, knowing that it was the last episode and feeling very emotional each day. If it was my last day with Marisa Ramirez on set, and we know it is, there's going to be a whole wave of emotion surrounding that. If it's our last day filming outside in the streets of New York, there's processing that, right?

What should we expect from the series finale next week? 

It's honestly really hard to remember the actual episode because all of us were so desperately trying to cherish every moment. So in many ways, I don't remember as much what was happening on camera as I remember what was happening off camera. I think the audience is going to naturally bring a similar energy to the episode, so they may pick up on our energy because they're going to bring their own energy to sitting down and watching it for them.

Related: Blue Bloods is returning (and ending) with season 14. Here’s a look at the cast, then and now

How do you anticipate Blue Bloods fans feeling about the last episode?

They may be sitting down feeling conflicted by emotion, because it is the last episode. We definitely went to work every day knowing it was the last episode and tried to hold back the tears and the emotion — and the audience will probably do the same. And I think by the time that last dinner scene comes around, it might be tough to not hold it back anymore. That was the case for us — we were unable to hold it back anymore. I don't like to tell the audience how they're going to feel — I don't know how they're going to feel. But I do suspect when that last dinner scene starts, everyone's going to be hoping it doesn't end, and that's how we felt shooting it.

What was the energy on set as you shot that final dinner?

I remember showing up that morning and there were much, much more crew members watching than usual. There's usually a lot, everyone comes in and watches the rehearsals and sometimes we'll say a little something. I might say, "It's going to be a great day" and I'll get everyone all fired up and stuff. We'll improvise some lines just to get a few laughs and such. But this day, I think everyone was really hanging on and again, trying to stay present and focus on the work and make sure we did the work well, but also trying not to get lost in the emotion of it all.

I think when we finished filming is what I'll remember most. We all just kind of sat there for a long time, and I think everyone was hesitating to say something to say goodbye because A, nobody wanted to, and B, everyone knew once somebody starts talking, it's a wrap. The tissues are coming out and everyone's going to start crying, and sure enough they did. I remember Tom read a poem — or, he didn't read it. He'd memorized the poem and recited it. He's known the poem for years, and he did that from time to time. He would say a poem or he would quote some old famous saying or something. He would always just drop these sage little things upon us at dinner from time to time.

Related: Blue Bloods star Donnie Wahlberg marks final day of filming: 'One of the great blessings of my life'

And he started the poem, and I just remember feeling like I transported back to 10-year-old Donnie watching Tom Selleck on TV and it just kind of hit me again. The first day we ever shot was the dinner scene, right? I didn't have time then to be in awe of Tom Selleck, or to think, "Wow, when I was a little kid, if you told me I would work with Tom Selleck for 14 years — or ever — it would be more than I could ever have dreamed of."

And now here I am, closing out 14 years with him, and I allowed myself to think about that while he was talking. And yeah, I was gone. I started crying and didn't stop for a few hours. Of course, I felt all the emotion of the crew and the rest of the cast members, but that moment I thought about how when I'd be watching him on TV, my mom would be sitting right behind me, right with my grandma, and they're both gone now. And how profound it was that somehow my life's journey had taken me to this moment, and I just couldn't help but feel incredibly blessed and incredibly grateful in that moment. And then it was my time to talk next, and that was really messy. I could barely get a word out.

Related: Donnie Wahlberg reveals he took the Reagan dinner table from Blue Bloods set and will bring it to Wahlburgers

Do you remember what you said to the cast and crew?

"Thank you." I don't know the exact words, but I think I really tried to convey how much the crew meant to me, and that even though it was a really difficult time for all of us to be saying goodbye, I just kind of encouraged everyone to just remember how lucky we all were to have been a part of this. If there's anything that can make you feel okay about such a special opportunity ending, it certainly would be the fact that you even had the opportunity to be part of something so special in the first place. I think that was really where I tried to go, and that's how I try to approach it every day.

Now, of course, it's going to be tough. I'm going to be laying down next to [my wife] Jenny [McCarthy] watching the finale, and the waterworks are going to turn on, and I'm just going to say, "How lucky was I to be part of something so cool?"

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Blue Bloods concludes with its series finale on Friday, Dec. 13, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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