As a cast member of the hist CBS family cop drama “Blue Bloods,” actress Vanessa Ray gets to work with some amazing actors. While playing New York City Police officer Eddie Janko, Ray works with such stars as Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, and Will Estes.
During a 2018 interview with Long Island Weekly, Ray talked about her costars. Turns out, there is one that makes her more nervous than any of the others. And, interestingly, it’s not Selleck, Wahlberg, Moynahan, or Estes.
The one “Blue Bloods” actor who has left the 40-year-old Vanessa Ray at a loss for words is Len Cariou. The now 81-year-old actor plays Reagan family patriarch Henry Reagan. Henry is a former New York City police commissioner and the father of Selleck’s character, Frank Reagan. Henry is also the grandfather of Wahlberg’s character, Danny Reagan, Moynahan’s character, Erin Reagan, and Estes’s character, Jamie Reagan. As fans are aware, Ray’s character, Eddie, is married to Jamie Reagan. This makes Cariou’s character her grandfather-in-law.
Getting to work with Cariou, who had a famous Broadway and stage career before joining the cast of “Blue Bloods,” has been a thrill for Vanessa Ray. She specifically admired him for his work in a hit musical by legendary Broadway composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim.
“I’ve been an enormous fan of Len Cariou from (the musical) ‘Sweeney Todd,'” Vanessa Ray said in 2018.
She joined the cast of “Blue Bloods” in 2013, according to IMDb. And, five years later, her admiration for Cariou had not diminished. In fact, she was still “nervous” around him. Interestingly, he had not noticed.
“To be totally honest, I am so nervous around Len that I sometimes can’t even find my words because I’ve admired his work for so long…I don’t even think he knows that,” Vanessa Ray also said.
‘Blue Bloods’ Star Len Cariou Had a Successful Stage Career Before Joining the Cast of the Popular CBS Drama
According to Playbill, Len Cariou played the title role in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” when it debuted in 1979. His costar was the legendary Angela Lansbury. She played Sweeney’s partner in crime, Mrs. Lovett. Both Cariou and Lansbury won Tony Awards for their work in the famous musical.
This was not the only success Carious had during his stage career. During the 1970s, Cariou also appeared in another respected musical by Stephen Sondheim. This was the 1973 production of “A Little Night Music.” After appearing in the stage version, he went on to appear in the film version alongside Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor.
Some of his other stage productions included “The House of Atreus” and “Henry V,” as well as “Applause,” “Dance a Little Closer,” “The Speed of Darkness,” “The Dinner Party,” and “Proof.”
