Donnie Wahlberg: 'Blue Bloods' a treat

By BILL HARRIS, QMI Agency
Donnie Wahlberg has been on the receiving end of a lot of second-party messages from fans through the years.
But now that he’s working with Tom Selleck on the new series Blue Bloods, Wahlberg finds himself in the unaccustomed role of message conduit for Mr. Magnum P.I.
“Having done the music and acting, I bump into so many people who say, ‘Oh my God, my sister loved you,’ ” said the 41-year-old Wahlberg, who first became famous as a member of New Kids on the Block. “Someone always has a message from someone for me.
“But now that I’m working with Tom, everyone has a message for Tom. They say to me, ‘Oh my God, my mom loves Tom. Please tell Tom my mom loves him.’
“It’s awesome. It’s such a treat to be in that position. I’m not getting hit with messages every day, I’m getting to deliver a few.” Wahlberg plays one of Selleck’s sons on Blue Bloods, which debuts Friday, Sept. 24 on CBS and CTV.
The series best can be described as a family drama mixed with a procedural. Think CSI meets Brothers & Sisters.
Blue Bloods centres on a multi-generational family of cops in New York, led by police commissioner Frank Reagan (Selleck). Frank’s eldest son Danny (Wahlberg) is a seasoned detective and Iraqi war veteran who on occasion crosses the line in his zeal to solve cases.
Blue Bloods also stars Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes and Len Cariou.
“We don’t know how (Danny) feels about his dad being his boss, essentially,” Wahlberg said of his character. “Does he resent it? Does he use it to his advantage? I don’t think it’s clear.
“In life, when we walk into a room and people pre-judge us, we feel differently about it, depending on the day of the week.” Wahlberg called upon his own experience to illustrate the point.
“On the one hand, I can walk into a room and everyone’s excited that I’m a member of New Kids on the Block, and I say, ‘Oh, okay, cool,’ ” Wahlberg said. “But on the other hand, I might also resent it. ‘Oh, they only like me because I’m in New Kids on the Block.’ It’s not cut and dried, especially in a situation like this.
“People whose parents have been really successful before them, sometimes they’re proud, sometimes they’re really resentful, and most times they’re a little bit of both.”
Wahlberg, who had acclaimed TV roles on Band of Brothers and Boomtown, said the Reagan clan on Blue Bloods “feels like a real family” to him. In fact, it feels so much like a real family that the Reagans even remind Wahlberg of his own upbringing in Boston.
“(Selleck) has a gaze that reminds me of my dad,” Wahlberg said. “At the dinner table, I could always take it to a certain point before my dad would whack me in the side of the head, and Tom has that.
“I’m always worried that I’m going to improvise one too many lines and Tom’s going to, in character, say, ‘Knock it off, son.’ And off-camera, he’s going to go, ‘All right, Wahlberg, settle down.’ ”
FRIDAY, SEPT. 24 SERIES PREMIERES
Blue Bloods (CBS, CTV)

source: http://www.edmontonsun.com/entertainment/tv/2010/09/23/15449471.html