This writer is a Blockhead, tried and true. Since I was 13, there hasn’t been much the members of New Kids on the Block could do that I wouldn’t stop to watch, buy, or support. So when Blue Bloods came along, you bet I watched. After all, Donnie Wahlberg is a New Kid. When the show was canceled, it hurt.
Then came the news of Boston Blue, and somehow, that took away some of the sting. Detective Danny Reagan in Boston? It fit. Any Blockhead knows why Boston matters—it’s where the members of the group came from. Just like with Blue Bloods, I haven’t missed an episode. It’s one more thing that brings Blockheads together.
Being asked to interview anyone from the show, like Fangirlish was, is a gift. You don’t have to ask me twice.
Sonequa Martin-Green plays Lena Silver, Detective Reagan’s partner. I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about her career before this. I’d never watched Star Trek or The Walking Dead. But as Boston Blue has progressed, Lena has become a character I’ve grown to love and admire, and so much of that comes down to Martin-Green’s performance. She’s the kind of actress who makes me wish I’d discovered her work sooner.
Holding your own opposite Wahlberg is no small thing, but Martin-Green commands the scenes she’s in. Lena doesn’t back down. She fights for what she believes in and provides a compelling balance to Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan.
THIS SEASON
Sitting down to watch the first two episodes of this season, I knew one thing: they had upped the ante. They took what we already knew of Boston Blue and said, “Hold our beer. We’re gonna make it better.”
And they did.
When I told Martin-Green that I felt they’d upped the ante this season, she said, “That’s how it feels. I also feel like we’ve ramped up the cinema of it as well. And even now, ’cause we’re shooting episodes seven and eight, my goodness, the cinema of this season is impressive, honestly.”
I smiled.
The stamina it takes to do a procedural is something that always amazes me. Someone is always running, getting shot, or being taken down. The intensity rarely lets up. She agrees with me. We’re talking about episode 2 and she gets what I am talking about but I know I have to focus.
Talking to Martin-Green, I realize I’m already straying from the order of my questions. But that’s the thing about her: she instantly makes you feel like you’re talking to your bestie. Her smile is inviting, her tone is comforting, and the interview feels like a conversation.
I ask about her previous roles in Star Trek and The Walking Dead, and how, like those shows, Boston Blue comes with a built-in fan base. People take the Reagan family very seriously. Did stepping into that world make her nervous?
FRANCHISES
“I have to say, I think because I’ve been blessed to come on board these big franchises, I’ve gotten really accustomed to it at this point, right? My first one was, obviously, Walking Dead, and then Star Trek: Discovery, and then even coming into something like Space Jam. I felt like I was really prepared to come into this one because of all of my experiences doing this. So I felt—what was it, 2025?—when it was like, okay, this is happening. This is the next thing, the next story I’m called to tell. This is the next show family I’m called to be a part of and help build. I was like, you know what? I’m ready for this. I know what this is. I know what it means to come into a loyal fan base, to come into something that is older than you—well, at least, you know, Trek was.”
She continues, “I understand the dedication that is required. I understand the attention to detail that is required, the respect that is required for it. And I also felt like I was in a good position to support Donnie as well. ’Cause I, you know, I just came from the position that he’s in right now on this show. And so I’m like, you know, I know what that is. I know what that’s about, and I know how to support it. I felt more ready than I’ve been in a really long time, to be honest with you.”
PARTNERSHIPS
She’s so open and vulnerable with me and I recognize it. She’s so calm and happy. I can’t even explain her presence – she’s got a gift. It’s a presence that is humbling me in a way I would consider positive. I know that I am lucky to sit and talk to her. She’s making a difference in my life in a short perious of time.
One of the things I love about Lena is that she doesn’t take Danny Reagan’s crap. She stands her ground, and that gives their partnership something I love watching.
“A lot of his previous partners in Blue Bloods back down a little bit because Danny Reagan is so intimidating,” I tell her. “I love that Lena’s like, ‘No, no, I’m not playing with you. We’re going to do things this way.’ And that found family that was just automatically there is so special. I think that’s what makes this show different from other procedurals: it’s not only based on the case, it’s based on the family. Does it feel like a family? How does that aspect play into how you bring Lena to life?”
For Martin-Green, that sense of family isn’t just something she’s playing as Lena. It’s something she feels with the people around her, and it shapes what she brings to the character.
FAMILY
“Oh my gosh, it 1,000% affects everything that I do as Lena. And I think that it affects everything that all of us do, because we all are of the same mind and heart,” she says. “Yet again, I’ve been blessed with another group of people that feels like a lightning-in-a-bottle situation.”
What stands out as she talks is how much she values the work of building that connection. To her, being a close cast isn’t separate from telling the story. It’s part of what makes telling it possible.
“Everybody understands that being a show family is what’s going to make us tell the story the best,” she explains. “When you have a real show family between cut and action, it bleeds, it transcends, it grows. People can really feel it.”
That connection came quickly with Wahlberg. And while Lena and Danny may challenge each other on-screen, Martin-Green describes a foundation of affection and trust behind their partnership.
CONNECTIONS
“Donnie and I were super close immediately. It was like, ‘Oh, that’s my brother.’ And we felt that immediately,” she says. “We felt that with everyone. And it really does translate because we love each other, we respect each other, and we are comfortable with each other, and we trust each other.”
Martin-Green understands that Boston Blue is building something of its own while carrying forward a part of what made Blue Bloods meaningful.
“Family is the cornerstone of our show because we stand on the shoulders of Blue Bloods. And of course, family was the cornerstone of that show,” she says. “If we were gonna be an iteration of that, we were gonna have to have family as our cornerstone as well. And we do, in front of the camera and behind.”
But bringing Danny into a new family—and a new partnership—also leaves room to show how he has changed. That’s what makes her perspective on Lena standing her ground so interesting. It isn’t only about Lena being willing to push back. It’s also about Danny being in a place where he can meet her differently.
“We realized this pretty early on in season one, that we had this golden opportunity to show Danny’s maturation,” she says. “This is an opportunity for us to see this more mature Danny Reagan, who has taken all the lessons from his father and his grandfather and has really implemented them.”
STRENGTH
For Martin-Green, Lena’s strength is one part of that dynamic, but Danny’s growth is just as important. Their partnership gives both characters room to bring who they are to the table.
“Now he’s in a new city, so now his partnership is gonna be different. It’s gonna be on more equal terms, right? Because not only can she stand up for herself and she’s different in that way, he’s also different,” she says. “So it works really well.”
“Lena is such a strong, layered character. No matter what’s going on in her life, she’s willing to fight for herself, and that’s inspiring to watch.” I tell her. I take a breathe and continue, “I think your portrayal gives girls inspiration to stand up for themselves and follow their dreams. What inspires you when you step into Lena’s shoes each day, and what helped you decide how you wanted to portray her?”
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I ADMIT
“I’m sorry—I’m a little nervous talking to you, but I’m excited.” I admit for some reason. I do so many interviews and I don’t get nervous, but speaking to Martin-Green I am. It’s not because she’s intimidating, but it’s because she’s someone that I admired and grow to admire more and more during this conversation.
Martin-Green meets my nerves with reassurance.
“The best interviews feel like conversation,” she says. “So I just appreciate you. Thank you. And I also appreciate how you see the show and how you see Lena. I don’t take it lightly.”
Her answer brings us back to the beginning—to the first time she read the pilot and saw a woman she wanted to bring to life. The confidence I admire in Lena was already there on the page, but what excited Martin-Green was what that confidence allowed the character to do.
“What got me was that here was this woman who is so confident and competent. She’s so competent that she’s able to lead with joy,” she explains. “And that I had not experienced before as an actor. And that was exciting.”
That distinction means something. Lena’s strength isn’t only in her ability to stand her ground or do her job. For Martin-Green, there’s something equally compelling in playing a woman whose belief in her abilities leaves room for happiness, connection, and faith.
FAITH
“Here is this faith-forward woman, which, of course, really spoke to me, because what inspires me is Jesus,” she says. “Lena’s Jewish, but she’s locked into her faith. I have a Hebraic perspective to my Christianity, so that really resonated with me. And then having Grandpa at the table as well really resonated with me.”
She describes Lena as someone “who has dedicated her life to the greater good, who leads with joy,” and whose work brings her genuine fulfillment. That gave Martin-Green something new to explore—not just how Lena handles a case, but how she moves through her relationships and the world around her.
“I was like, ‘Oh, that’s irresistible.’ I’m so excited to see what that does or what that looks like, or how you can move through life and navigate through situations and relationships coming from that place,” she says. “Because I can honestly say I had not played a character before who came from joy.”
When she returns to the idea of Lena being layered, she also returns to what that portrayal might mean to the young people watching. Especially girls who are still figuring out what strength looks like for them.
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SHE SHOWS
“What I also want to show young girls—and I mean boys too, but especially girls who are questioning this—is you don’t have to pretend to be a man to be strong,” she says. “Your strength and confidence is not because you have a masculine shield on. You can be feminine and you can be soft and be in tune with your emotions. You can be intuitive, introspective. You can be kind to yourself in that way, but you can also be ferocious.”
That’s part of what makes Lena so compelling to me. Her softer qualities don’t take away from her strength. They’re part of it. And Martin-Green is intentional about making room for both.
“That was so important for me. I saw it, and it inspired me, and then it was important for me to show that,” she says.
She’s also heard that perspective reflected by women doing the work in real life. Martin-Green recalls speaking with a female detective in the Boston Police Department, Tish Murphy, whose approach stayed with her.
KINDNESS
“She leads with kindness,” Martin-Green says. “She said, ‘You know, this is my approach.’ And she’s like, ‘I can be nasty if I need to be, but I lead with kindness.’ And I’m like, ‘That is brilliant.’”
I normally walk away from interviews feeling like I am going to pass out, but here I feel at peace. She’s managed to answer my questions, but also make me feel empowered. My fifteen minutes are up and we’re saying goodbye.
“Thank you for your time, Erin. I hope you and I, I hope we cross paths again.” she says.
Smiling, I don’t tell her that I hope we do too, but as I click leave, I don’t say that. I just know that I am going to take her advice.
I’m off to lead with kindness.
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