When Did Marlene Lawston Leave Blue Bloods?
Back when "Blue Bloods" first began, Nicky Reagan-Boyle looked quite a bit different. In fact, she had another face entirely. While the Nicky of modern "Blue Bloods" is played by Sami Gayle and is the incarnation of the character fans are most familiar with, the earliest bits of the series actually feature a different actor in the role: Marlene Lawston. Considering how long "Blue Bloods" has been running, veteran fans may be a bit foggy on when the recast actually occurred, but the answer is pretty simple.
Marlene Lawston's Nicky was only part of "Blue Bloods" for its inaugural episode. After the episode aired in 2010, Lawston exited the series and made no further appearances as Nicky. When Nicky makes her second-ever appearance in Season 1, Episode 4, she is instead played by Sami Gayle, who has maintained the role since then. Essentially, only those who have seen "Blue Bloods" from the very beginning would know that Lawston ever portrayed Nicky at all.
Why did Marlene Lawston leave Blue Bloods?
The exceptional briefness of Marlene Lawston's stint on "Blue Bloods" may lead some fans to wonder why she departed the series after helping establish one of its central characters. Oddly enough, there has never been any official reason given by CBS or Lawston as to why she left "Blue Bloods." Nonetheless, some reasonable assumptions can be made with regard to what went down in those early days.
While it's possible that Lawston could have exited the role of Nicky of her own accord, it's also possible that the "Blue Bloods" creators ended up wanting to go in a different direction with the character after the development of the pilot. Recastings for major characters after a show's pilot aren't all that uncommon in the industry. For instance, a similar situation occurred with The CW's "Arrow," as Sara Lance was recast after the first episode.
Interestingly enough, "Blue Bloods" is Lawston's final credit to date, and she hasn't popped up in any projects since her appearance as Nicky. Regardless of how the recasting came about, it seems that the actor elected to leave the industry entirely. As for what happened to Lawston after "Blue Bloods," the available information points to her pursuing scholarly endeavors instead.