Sitting around a table talking about life while nibbling food — to the neophyte, those weekly family meal scenes on “Blue Bloods” might seem like a walk in the park. But according to series star Tom Selleck, they present one major challenge — keeping track of one’s character and their relationships with everyone else at the table.

“Dinner scenes are hard because your focus is not what you’re eating. It’s really not even your lines, it’s your subtext. Audiences don’t care about the words, they want to see the subtext. The family dinners are loaded with subtext, and the audience is in on it because they’ve seen what the characters are going through,” the actor told Emmy Magazine (via People). That subtext comes in the tight relationships forged by the lifelong bonds between the Reagan family members, their shifting situations, and the closeness each actor must project in these scenes. Selleck added that timing is another factor that makes those scenes so memorable, one thing that hasn’t steered him wrong in seasons of doing those scenes.

It turns out that one of his fellow “Blue Bloods” stars agrees that keeping the focus on family matters is important during those shared meals. After all, the show’s cast has evolved into something of a family over time — and families definitely have a tendency to evolve together.

Donnie Wahlberg agrees that character focus during dinner scenes is important

Donnie Wahlberg told Emmy Magazine that focusing in on character matters is crucial for a successful Reagan family dinner, right from the first one they filmed.

“At the first dinner scene, I had to be fully committed to this character and who he was and his thoughts on the situation he was dealing with — and be willing to turn that dinner table upside down.” There was added pressure on the actor’s shoulders, since he was forced to go to bat against some heavyweight performers immediately. “And to do that with Tom Selleck sitting at the head of the table? He’s an icon.”

Indeed, the “Blue Bloods” cast was hesitant to film that first dinner scene. A family dinner scene also helped Wahlberg define his character’s boldness. The script had Danny react to an argument with a family member firmly but let it lie after he expressed his opinion. Disagreeing with this interpretation of the character, Wahlberg instead decided to strike forth with his own ideas. “I had to make the commitment to go there with him. I could not hold anything back, because if I didn’t do it in the pilot episode, I wouldn’t be able to do it down the road.”It also helps that the Reagan clan, much like the actors who play them, have developed a shared sense of family. “There’s a genuine affection when we get together for dinner scenes. There’s a genuine gratitude at that table. If anyone’s struggling, by the end of that dinner scene they’re back to being aware of how fortunate we all are,” said Wahlberg. Fans will find out if that sense of fortune will follow the Reagans into the sunset when “Blue Blood” concludes this winter.