The Reagans from “Blue Bloods” are the only TV family that truly knows how to have dinner together as a family. The Reagans know how to get together, drink, and have a good time no matter what is going on at work, at least when it comes to their regular Sunday night dinner. The show’s signature dinner-table scenes consistently portray the complicated family dynamic at the center of the story. Even while they also make for the ideal backdrop for drama, these dinners give the family members a chance to ponder for a while. The conflicts during the “Blue Bloods” family supper are, in Tom Selleck’s opinion, its best feature.
The Reagans are a tight-knit bunch, though their differing personalities often clash, giving each actor the chance to rattle off some rapid-fire dialogue. After years of watching the family chow down, it’s hard not to wonder what it’s really like to sit at the Reagan family dinner table. Behind the scenes, the actors must work together to tell the story, and there’s little room for error. According to “Blue Bloods” stars Vanessa Ray and Will Estes, messing up during a dinner table scene can be pretty embarrassing.
Filming the dinner scenes can be intimidating
Vanessa Ray and Will Estes have been playing married couple Jamie Reagan and Eddie Janko-Reagan for years. Since Jamie and Eddie started out as police partners before developing a romantic relationship, Estes and Ray have established a good rapport that translates to their characters’ dynamic. However, despite their years of experience, Estes and Ray still find the dinner scenes challenging to film. During a WFSB 3 interview, the co-stars spoke about how nerve-wracking it can be to mess up in front of the entire crew, not to mention seasoned actors like Tom Selleck and Len Cariou.
“It’s a scary room to forget a line at because it’s a really long scene to shoot, and you’re surrounded by consummate professionals,” Estes explained. “So when you go up on a line at that table, it’s a lot of people watching you mess up.”
“It’s a lot of eyes,” Ray added. “And at first they’re like, ‘No, it’s okay, just take your time, you’re fine,’ and then, after a while, they’re like, ‘We’ve got kids like we’ve got to go.’”
Thankfully, the set of “Blue Bloods” sounds like a reasonably supportive environment. Maintaining a productive atmosphere is key, given that it takes an entire day to film one dinner scene. However, the Reagan family dinners have stayed consistently engaging season after season, so it seems like the cast and crew have it down to a science at this point.