I never like to say that, because I don’t want to live with the regret, but I can tell you that I passed on Ted, and I’ve never had this experience where I laughed so hard reading a script,
Matt Damon told GQ.
The actor revealed he turned down the lead role in the 2012 comedy Ted, a decision he admits stemmed from overthinking the project. Damon, who was named one of the magazine’s Men of the Year alongside Andrew Garfield and Chris Rock, appeared on the latest GQ cover to discuss the decision and his career.
Damon declined the role after second-guessing the script
While reading the script for the Seth MacFarlane-directed comedy, Damon found the material so engaging that he shared parts of it with friends at dinner. However, he ultimately decided against the part after second-guessing the direction of the story.
“I just got too clever by half. I don’t know what I was thinking. I was like, Well, maybe the teddy bear’s actually the best part.…” Damon said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He explained that he talked [himself] out of it
after deciding the talking teddy bear might be the primary draw of the film.
The role of John Bennett, the best friend of the titular character, eventually went to Mark Wahlberg, according to Yahoo News UK. The character of John is described as an immature, mild-mannered slacker who enjoys smoking pot with Ted. Damon expressed support for the casting, noting that the right actor got the part. Mark [Wahlberg’s] great, and the movie’s great and I wouldn’t have made it any better,
Variety reported. Damon and Wahlberg previously worked together on the 2006 film The Departed.
Missing a chance to film in Boston
Beyond the script itself, Damon noted that passing on the film meant missing a significant opportunity to spend time with his family. Because the production filmed in his hometown of Boston, taking the role would have allowed him to be home for a six-month period.
Damon reflected on the personal loss associated with that missed timing, stating, my father’s passed away now, and I look back and I go, Man, that would’ve been six months back [home].
His father passed away in 2017 at age 74, according to Page Six.
The success of the Ted franchise
The 2012 film became a commercial success. The franchise expanded to include a 2015 sequel, Ted 2, and a prequel series on Peacock that ran for two seasons.
The franchise is set to continue with an animated series on Peacock. According to JoBlo, the series will feature Wahlberg reprising his role as the voice of John and is scheduled to premiere on December 17, 2026. The series description notes it picks up twelve years after the conclusion of the last movie, following John and Ted as neighbors with families and dead-end jobs. The animated series will also feature Ted’s voice provided by MacFarlane and will reunite Wahlberg with Ted 2 costar Amanda Seyfried.
Earlier this year, the creator of Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, discussed the franchise’s future with The Hollywood Reporter. He noted that while there are no current plans for a third season of the prequel series, he has suggested the possibility of a Ted feature film directed specifically for Peacock using the existing cast. MacFarlane noted that people remained interested in the characters even ten years after the last film preceded the series.
Damon finds success with The Odyssey
While discussing his career and the role he declined, Damon also touched upon his recent success in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. The Greek epic has amassed over $652 million worldwide, Variety reported. The film is set to return to theaters in the Imax 70mm format in December, and Damon’s lead performance as Odysseus has positioned him as a major contender during the current Oscar season.
His career has included mainstream hits like The Martian and The Bourne Identity, as well as character roles in Syriana and Che.
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