Ernie Hudson Teases the Truth About Lena’s Father After Pivotal Episode (Exclusive)

Reverend Edwin Peters (Ernie Hudson) saved the day in Boston Blue‘s return on Friday, April 3. The episode made a bit of an action hero of the 80-year-old Ghostbusters star, and powerful scenes with onscreen daughter Gloria Reuben made it Hudson’s biggest episode of the Blue Bloods spinoff so far. Peters family secrets came to light in Boston Blue Season 1 Episode 13, “Beautiful, Broken Things.” Warning: Spoilers for Boston Blue ahead.

A visit from Mae’s (Reuben) sister, Jill (Holly Robinson Peete), inadvertently led to the truth about the nature of their mother’s death being revealed. Edwin revealed earlier this season that his wife died by suicide when their daughters were young. All this time, Mae believed that her mom had died in a car accident when she was hit by a drunk driver. Episode 13 revealed that it was suicide, and even more tragically, that it was Jill who found her.

Edwin was shot through the shoulder in a drive-by shooting outside of his church at the beginning of the episode. The culprits were aiming for someone else, and that mystery led to another standoff at gunpoint in the church at the episode’s end. With his arm in a sling, Edwin put himself in front of a young woman being threatened by the attacker. He forced Edwin to play Russian Roulette with a pistol, but Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and Edwin’s granddaughter, Lena (Sonequa Martin-Green), arrived just in time. The Reverend knocked the attacker out with a strong punch. When the dust settled, the Silvers and the Reagans welcomed Henry Reagan (Blue Bloods star Len Cariou) to dinner.

Here, Hudson breaks down the powerful episode, revealing how the reveal about Edwin’s late wife might force Mae to finally tell Lena the truth about her biological father.

Did you expect to have the secret of Edwin’s wife revealed to me so soon this season?

Ernie Hudson: No. It was a bit of a surprise the way it had to come out, the way it unfolded. As the actor, I knew we all have our family secrets, and I knew that at some point we’d get to it, but I didn’t expect it to happen the way it happened and so soon in the show.

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Edwin thought that he was protecting Mae by keeping the secret from her, but then he later admits that his generation doesn’t really talk about things because they didn’t have the words. How have the younger generations in his family helped him change that, if at all?

Yeah, a lot of things that we held on to, me being of the age I am, and working with this amazing cast who are so much younger, things are different. The world has changed. A lot of things we held on to, very firmly believing that this was the right way and the only way. And every day, I’m reminded by younger people that, no, a lot of those things we held on to were not healthy. I think the Reverend, being the person that he is, the idea of keeping a secret is foreign to him. But on the other hand, this is a way it’s always been done, and some of these things we don’t question. But having kids, young people will force you to review some of your beliefs, your ideas. I find now, even on the political horizon, people are holding on to stuff that is really time to let go and move on.

Talk about filming that scene with Gloria, where he explains why he kept the secret.

It was a hard scene to do, in a way, because she’s my baby girl, and you just don’t want to admit that you were wrong. He’s hoping that, if I just speak from the heart, if I just reveal my vulnerability, that she will take it better, and she’s still struggling with it, which kind of breaks his heart, because he wants her to understand that it’s not for any other reason other than I love you, and I really try to do what I believe was best for you, even though now I realize that it was a mistake. Sometimes you hope for understanding, but you don’t always get a free pass.

Do you think that he was planning to tell the truth soon, given that her mother’s death came up in the case earlier that season?

It was always there for him. It’s a weight that he’s been carrying, and he would love to let it go. He knows that it has to be revealed, trying to find the right time. There’s a lot going on in the family, them being in law enforcement, so there’s always a reason not to. There are always things coming up. And so he’s ultimately forced into doing it. I think he planned on it, but then he’s been planning on it for a long time, and probably would not have gotten around to it, looking for the right time. And certain family secrets, there is no ideal time. And then he’s forced to deal with it.

Interestingly, Mae keeps secrets about Lena’s dad from her, despite not knowing that her dad did the same. What do you make of that connection?

People sometimes can be very judgmental, and you look at them and say, “You know, you have your issues too, and I’m hoping that you can recognize.” The Reverend is hoping that maybe she’ll see that he had made this mistake, and maybe it will allow her to recognize that she’s not that far removed, and maybe encourage her to see things differently. I also think he believes she may go a little easier on judging him, but of course, it’s personal to her, and she doesn’t take it away. He’s hoping that she will.

Christos Kalohoridis / CBS

What can you tease about when Mae will tell Lena the truth?

Lena is going through a lot, being in the position that she is, as a detective. There’s a lot of stuff happening, and at some point, you need your complete self, and she needs that. She doesn’t have that, and I think Mae will eventually recognize it from a lot of prompting from me once I let go of that weight. The Reverend feels that it’s the best thing, and so he leans on her to reveal her secrets as well.

In the church standoff, Edwin says that no one is beyond redemption. Do you think he’s forgiven himself for keeping that secret from Mae?

I think so. You know, they say, “God knows your heart,” and you hope that there will be some grace shown for your own mistakes. He believes that’s for everyone, including himself. He’s tried to be an honest and just man. And like I said, we all have our secrets that are just painful to let go. The Bible said, “The truth will set you free.” This is what it has taken for him to let go, and he’s hoping the same thing for Mae.

Do you think that he’s forgiven himself for not being able to help his wife or to protect Jill from finding her?

With the wife, it’s a hard thing to forgive, because you feel the responsibility that somehow you’re the cause. But on the other hand, he can’t identify; he can’t say if I had done this or that. He knows it’s personal, and as much as you can forgive yourself, you can’t undo what happened. You hope [you would] if there was something you could do, and I think there’s a little bit of guilt because he wasn’t able to recognize it and identify how severe it was and do that thing. There’s a part of him that also knows that this was something that was out of his hands, and then he has to move on, ask God’s forgiveness, and if God can forgive him, then perhaps he can forgive himself.

CBS

How did you like having Gloria and Holly as your daughters?

I’ve known Holly for a long time. I don’t know if we’ve worked together over the years, but I’ve known her since she was a kid. I have four sons. I don’t have any daughters, so having two daughters on the show is really very, very cute. It’s so cute. And there’s one moment when I think they say, “Love you, Daddy” together. And it’s just so, so heartwarming and charming. I love working with Holly and Gloria as well.

You get a good punch in to save the day in the church scene, and with one arm in a sling at that. How was it being an action star in this episode?

I like the fact of the Reverend being well-rounded. If the situation calls for it, he can step up and do the Lord’s work, and in that case, throw a punch. It was funny, maybe at my age, they brought in a stuntman. And I thought, “Really? You paying this guy? All I gotta do is throw the punch! I mean, I can do that.” But it was fun to see him hold on to his Bible, yet resort to other sources to resolve the situation. It was fun for me to have a chance to be involved in some kind of action. What I love about Reverend Peters is that he’s very, very much involved in the community, and he’s very protective of his community. To protect the young lady there, he’s willing to do whatever God directs him to do. So throwing the bunch was a lot of fun.

Boston Blue, Fridays, 10/9c, CBS