Blue Bloods has been a winner for CBS for 12 seasons now, and while the cast has certainly developed a large fanbase during that time, it would be impossible to forget that at least two players on the show already had a number of serious fans well before the series began. I am, of course, talking about Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg. Their co-star, Will Estes (who plays youngest Reagan son, Jamie, in the Blue Bloods cast), has noted that fans always wait for Wahlberg while they’re on set, so one recent fan interaction was a nice surprise for Estes.
One of the initial draws for Blue Bloods viewers when the show debuted back in 2010 had to be the return to series television of former Magnum P.I. star Tom Selleck, along with New Kids on the Block singer / actor Donnie Wahlberg playing his oldest son on the series. Will Estes recently spoke with Looper about his long working relationship with the two, and reflected on how fans come out in force for Wahlberg, saying:
They’ll show up at the crack of dawn in a crowd and wait half a day, a full day, just to see him and say hi. And Donnie is something that I’ve never seen before and experienced. He just completely engages with people. It’s really incredible. I almost didn’t know you could do that before I saw Donnie do it. But, you know, he’ll go out and talk to people and he’s friends with them and he’s one of the most engaging people I’ve ever seen with his fans.
Well, this is hardly a great shock, is it? For one thing, Wahlberg has been famous for over 30 years (much like Selleck), and if anyone knows how to treat fans it would be someone who’s lived with the phenomenon of fame for such a long time. Also, as mentioned earlier, Wahlberg’s fame is on a whole different level from a lot of people, seeing as he’s part of a majorly successful pop group, whom many of his fans probably became acquainted with while they were very young. And, music fans who adore someone because their songs helped them through their formative years are an intensely dedicated bunch.
It would be pretty easy for Wahlberg to hide in his trailer when not actively filming Blue Bloods, or to leave after a long day and not spend any time chatting with the folks who’ve taken the time to wait around and talk to him. Instead, as Estes said, he actually finds time to interact with them, which is likely one thing that keeps his fans happy and coming back for more.
While Wahlberg’s commitment to his devoted fans seems to inspire Estes, their unwavering desire to hang around the Blue Bloods set to see him is also what led to a very surprising recent encounter for Estes. As he noted during his interview:
As for me, I had a great fan experience the other day. It was 5:30 in the morning. We all had just gotten to work. It was just before dawn and people were exhausted; we had a couple early days in a row. And this woman was driving by and she rolled the window down and yelled, “Jamie Reagan, I love you, Blue Bloods!” And we went, “Yeah! That’s the way to start a day!” And I was like, “Woo!” And it was just awesome. You know when you’re there at like 6 in the morning and everybody’s been up since 4:30 ... They’re usually yelling for somebody else, so it was nice to get one. But, yeah, that was pretty funny.
Awww! For once, it wasn’t Donnie Wahlberg who had a fan voice their wholehearted praise, but Will Estes. It sounds like it helped everyone start another long day right, and that Estes, especially, was glad for the public shoutout, which is always nice to hear.
You can keep up with Will Estes, Donnie Wahlberg, and the rest of the Reagan clan, when Blue Bloods continues Season 12 on CBS, Fridays at 10 p.m. EST. For more to watch right now, check out our guide to the 2021 fall TV schedule!
