Donnie Wahlberg says he went as far as offering up a significant portion of his paycheck in an effort to film “Boston Blue” in his hometown, but the economics of television production ultimately won out.
Speaking on SiriusXM’s Radio Andy, Wahlberg detailed his push to keep the “Boston Blue” spinoff authentic to its setting. The series, a continuation of his long-running “Blue Bloods” character Danny Reagan, is set in Boston but largely filmed in Toronto due to cost considerations.
“When I got offered the job, I’m like, ‘This is a dream come true.’ I thought, I’ll do a spinoff in L.A. or Vegas or Texas, somewhere hot,” Wahlberg said during the interview. “And they were like, ‘How about Boston?’ I was like, ‘Ahhhh.’ They hooked me. And I was like, ‘Alright, let’s do it in Boston.’”
However, he said producers quickly made clear that filming there wasn’t financially viable. “And they were like, ‘But we can’t afford to shoot it in Boston, we’re gonna shoot it in Toronto.’ I was like, ‘No, no.’ So, I said, ‘Listen, I’ll give back 50% of my paycheck if we can go to Boston.’ I did,” Wahlberg continued. “And they said, ‘You can give back 100% and so can the rest of the cast, we cannot film this show in Boston.’ It’s so expensive. For the most part, we shoot in Toronto.”
Wahlberg added that even beyond cost, filming in Boston presents logistical challenges, noting that crowds and tour groups frequently disrupt shoots.
“Boston Blue” has already been renewed for a second season. Season 1 is currently streaming on Paramount+.
