Mika Amonsen called weathering the backlash after Boston Blue recast Donnie Wahlberg‘s Blue Bloods son the “most challenging” part of the gig.
“That initial pressure from fans and making sure that I represented Sean in a way that Andrew [Terraciano] would appreciate, fans would appreciate and have them understand that I wasn’t just coming into this creating whatever I wanted [was hard],” Amonsen exclusively told Us Weekly about playing Boston Blue‘s version of Sean Reagan.
Amonsen was grateful for the support he received.
“It’s been reciprocated well and I’m happy about that. But I think that that was the biggest challenge. At this point, I’ve slipped into comfortability,” he noted. “I don’t feel an overly large amount of stress and pressure. Donnie has done a great job of making me feel super comfortable with the entire experience. Fans seem to really enjoy it, and I don’t feel as intimidated as I did going into it. It’s probably just a growth thing.”
Danny’s (Wahlberg) journey in New York was featured on CBS’ Blue Bloods, which ran from 2010 to 2024. The spinoff, which premiered in October 2025, kicked off with Danny visiting Boston after Sean ended up in a coma. This version of Sean looked a little different because the role was previously played by Terraciano.
“It was a difficult decision — certainly for me — and it’s one of the decisions that made me uncertain about doing the show. It’s like, ‘How do we do this with a different [actor]?’” Wahlberg, 56, admitted to Us last month. “I have to say, Mika has the same level of grace and class that Andrew showed. Mika has great respect for Andrew. He stepped into the role very mindfully and carefully and he took his time. He was very thoughtful about how he went about playing this character.”
Terraciano, 23, also broke his silence on the onscreen swap.
“It’s beautiful because you’ll always remember every single line and every day that you had the opportunity to be that character. It doesn’t mean for even a second that somebody else can’t go and do something beautiful with it,” he shared with Us in December 2025. “I got the joy of playing Sean, and I got to send him off into the world. Now somebody else gets that joy. We’re both getting to show what we do and then send Sean off into the world.”
Terraciano specifically mentioned Amonsen’s performance, adding, “I appreciate it because not only has there been such an outcry of love from the community, but there’s also a very clear love coming to the show.”
He explained: “It’s hundreds if not thousands of people who depend on their livelihood for a show to be made. It really is amazing that part of that character remains. Somebody can look back and say, ‘I want to pay homage to that. I want to respect that and I want to work on making something beautiful.’”
For Amonsen, the transition has since gotten easier.
“I’m happy to say that I feel like I’ve slipped into a good space with the character, and the positive feedback has also been nice to receive and been a confirmation I’m doing my job, which is good,” he explained. “Initially, I felt pressure to do justice to the role. But I didn’t feel negative pressure to make that happen. I felt pressure from myself and just to do right by the entire situation, by Andrew, by the fans.”
Boston Blue airs on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET.
