MD Magazine: 10 Questions With Donnie Wahlberg

By Matt McMillen

1. You're on Blue Bloods and Wahlburgers, you executive produceBoston's Finest, and you were touring with New Kids on the Block. How do you find time for a life outside of work?

I've always been able to multitask in my career and make it work with my kids. Fortunately, I'm now married to someone who likes to spend as much time with me as I like to spend with her, and we're both starting to see that it's less important to fit our relationship into our careers than to fit our careers into our relationship.
2. You were a teenager when NKOTB exploded onto the scene. Now you're 45. How has the music changed? 

Back then we made music for our fans that we enjoyed, and now we make music for our fans that we enjoy. That's the secret: Don't get caught up in what we want, but pay attention to what the fans want and do it in a way that we also enjoy.

3. Much of your TV work is about cops. What draws you to police stories?
No idea! My brothers spent their early lives running from the cops, and I got in a lot less trouble than they did. I think it's because I was smarter. They think it's because I was less of a risk taker. But I seem to have an instinct for police work. All the cops we work with on Blue Bloods say I would have made a great detective. 

4. What's a typical day like for you?

 The morning after a tour date in Las Vegas, I go to work on Blue Bloodsat 6 a.m. On breaks, I edit Wahlburgers and Rock This Boat [a new reality series], and work on a script I'm developing. I'm doing everything I ever dreamed of doing.

5. Wahlburgers is about your brother Paul's restaurant, which you and your brother Mark invested in. What's it like working with family?

Reality shows, in some ways, do capture reality. Paul's very hot, Mark's very cold, I'm right in the middle, and our mother is very loving and funny. The true essence of our personalities is there. 

6. Food also plays a role in Blue Bloods, right? 

When I first read the script and got to the dinner scene, it was so much like my life as a kid. I knew exactly what it looked like, felt like, smelled like, and I wanted to be part of that show.

7. So, family dinner was an important part of growing up? 

Our mom was really big on it. She didn't always come home to dinner as a kid, and it was important to her that we did. We didn't have a lot of money. We were just getting by most of the time. But every day -- every day -- we came home to dinner at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. 

8. How do you stay in shape? 

I get really in shape to go on tour with the New Kids, then when it's time to do Blue Bloods, I'll spin out of control with my diet, gain some weight, and eat a lot of donuts like a cop. But I do try to pay attention to my health. 

9. What's your favorite exercise routine? 

Our [New Kids] shows are the best cardio. I probably burn as many calories as a boxer in a 12-round fight. 

10. What do you wish you knew at 20?
I would have stretched a lot more and been more aware of my joints and muscles, kept them flexible. I've really got to work the creaks out before I go on tour now.

SOURCE: WebMD Magazine