Since its premiere on CBS in 2010, the police procedural/family drama “Blue Bloods” has seen numerous character relationships play out. There were plenty of burgeoning romantic partnerships that fans are happy never happened, such as Frank (Tom Selleck) and Abigail (Abigail Hawk), but also the long unfolding of Jamie’s (Will Estes) and Eddie’s (Vanessa Ray) courtship and eventual marriage.
In a 2022 interview with The Nerds of Color, even Ray’s mother spoke about her daughter’s enduring bond with her co-star. She said, “My mom came to set early on, they gave her the headphones and stuff, and she said, “Do you realize that you two never stop talking?” I was like, “What?” She goes, “No one else, no other actors. Everyone else takes a minute; they sit,” we talked the whole time.” Ray added that she and her co-star never experienced pauses in their talks where they needed to find something to discuss. Even in their disagreements, the actors always found a way to agree on any topic or issue.
For a friendship that Ray’s mom quickly picked up on, the actors have also spoken about the difficulties of playing romantic partners while maintaining a friendship in reality.
Ray and Estes struggled with some awkwardness, thanks to Jamie and Eddie’s passion for one another
On “Blue Bloods,” the partnership between Jamie and Eddie has endearingly evolved since Vanessa Ray joined the series during Season 4. But the dynamic duo’s relationship also translates off-screen, and the two actors have become enduring confidantes despite having to play one another’s spouse on TV.
Vanessa Ray also told The Nerds of Color that looking back on the start of her accord with Estes allowed her to grasp its importance.”It’s someone who knows me in a space that, like even my best friends haven’t worked with me on long, 12-hour days and stuff,” she explained. The actor finished her thought by marveling at their professional and personal partnership that has endured for eight years. But it wasn’t always easy to separate the bond her mother observed between the colleagues in contrast to Jamie and Eddie’s passion for one another.
When asked by CBS’s “Watch” in 2019 how it felt to be friends but still be able to authentically kiss while in character, both actors revealed that the second kiss between their roles was much weirder than the first one. Estes then added, “Because we’d become friends at that point. We’d spent a lot of hours together. We’re married without the romance.” This is a fact that viewers no doubt picked up on just as early as Vanessa Ray’s mother did when she picked up on her daughter’s chemistry with her partner.