Blue Bloods is one of the most popular police procedurals on television, with intense storylines, legendary stars, and a whole lot of heart. The series debuted on TV in 2010 and has been going strong ever since, earning new fans every step of the way. One element of the show that fans and critics seem to really love is the emphasis on the importance of family.
The Reagan family, portrayed by a handful of talented actors, always takes time to connect with each other during the iconic family dinner sequences. While these scenes are a mainstay of Blue Bloods, not all the food served in the scenes is delicious, as actor Bridget Moynahan revealed in a 2022 interview.
Bridget Moynahan has a featured role in ‘Blue Bloods’
From the very beginning, Moynahan has been one of the most important and exciting characters in Blue Bloods. As Erin Reagan, Frank Reagan’s only daughter, she occupies a place of importance within the Reagan family – and her role as a New York County Assistant District Attorney ensures that she’s always busy.
A single mother and a brilliant legal mind, Erin never hesitates to call out injustice where she sees it. She’s also fiercely devoted to her family and rarely misses out on the chance to connect with her father and brothers over dinner.
Bridget Moynahan wasn’t a fan of the moo shu pork calzones in one family dinner scene
Filming the family dinner scenes is something that many members of the cast love, including Moynahan. However, because real food is utilized in the scenes, it seems inevitable that the cast might occasionally encounter an item that they don’t love. In a 2022 interview on Live With Kelly and Ryan, Moynahan revealed that one food item really stands out.
“There was one time that they had a moo-shu pork calzone, which I had never heard of. I had to talk about it on screen, so I had to eat it every single time,” the actor said. “And it was early in the series, so it was taking about four hours to do the dinner scenes. So it was four hours of eating a moo-shu pork calzone.”
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Moynahan described how the flavors of the calzone just didn’t work well together, admitting, “That was not good, and I will never do that again. I don’t know why somebody came up with that concept, a moo shu pork calzone. You shouldn’t combine the two.”
The ‘Blue Bloods’ family dinner scenes are a hallmark of the show
Even though the food in the family dinner scenes is very real, provided by a catering company, the cutlery is fake. Reportedly, the cast utilizes plastic cutlery so as not to distract viewers with a lot of clinking and clattering. Any alcohol in those scenes is also fake, with iced tea in the wine glasses instead of actual alcohol.
Any leftover food isn’t wasted, either – whatever isn’t eaten by the cast is given to the crew to take home after the shooting is over. While fans love the dinner scenes, they were difficult at first for some cast members, including Donnie Wahlberg, who plays Danny Reagan. “It was so intimidating,” the actor revealed.
“My character basically had to run roughshod over the table and to sit down with that cast and with Tom Selleck at the head of the table. My dad used to wear a mustache a lot, and he’s very intimidating and he sat at the head of the table like that.”
Fortunately, Wahlberg settled into a groove quickly enough – and these days, the family dinner scenes on Blue Bloods are the heart and soul of the procedural drama.
