Blue Bloods’ Len Cariou Says Last Day on Set Was ‘At a Funeral’: ‘We Weren’t Even in the House’
Blue Bloods’ Len Cariou’s last day on set of the show’s final season was “pretty bittersweet” as it took place in an unconventional filming location.
“The last scene, of course, was at a funeral, and so we weren’t even in the house the day that we wrapped it up,” he told TV Insider in an interview published on November 1. “I was finished that day myself and several of the others, Tom [Selleck]‘s group of guys, Bridget [Moynahan] and Steve [Schirripa], and the others, they were done that day, too, before the rest of the episode was finished.”
Len, 85, has portrayed Henry Reagan since the show’s first season aired in 2010.
“So it was kind of strange in that sense, just like any other day, any other week. And we had just kind of gotten used to the fact that we had said our goodbyes, if you will, with not a lot of emotional times together,” he said of his final day on set. “So we said, OK, that’s over and done with, and we’ll stay in touch if we can.”
Luckily, it wasn’t long until he got to see his costars again as they gathered to do press for the second part of season 14.
“And then lo and behold, a couple of weeks ago, we all got together for the wrap-up, for the launch of the last eight shows, and that was bittersweet,” Len explained to the outlet. “I just got used to the fact that we said our goodbyes and then everybody was back in the room together, and that made it a little bit difficult for me.”
Tom, 79, who portrays Henry’s son, Frank Reagan, echoed the same sentiment about how much he is going to miss his castmates.
“The family of actors is as close as the Reagan family and the characters that they play,” Tom, 79, told TV Insider in an interview published on October 3. “There’s isn’t a single one of them who didn’t want to come back. Most shows don’t end that way — there’s petty jealousy and all sorts of things — and we seemed to overcome that. It’s something for everybody to hang their hats on and be proud of.”
The Magnum, P.I. alum explained that the dynamic of the show’s incredible cast was so strong, and it reminded him of when his tenure on CBS started decades ago.
“You set a tone early, and I’m proud to say I had something to do with that, having had such a good experience on Magnum,” Tom reflected. “On Blue Bloods, in some ways, I was the patriarch of the actor Reagan family. They knew I [had worked on a long-running show before] so I had some credibility when problems came up. It helped, I think.”
As for what will happen to the Reagan family, fans will just have to tune in and see as the final episodes of Blue Bloods air on Fridays at 10 p.m. on CBS.
