Matt Damon explains why he turned down the lead role in 'Ted'

The Hollywood Reporter shares that Matt Damon has opened up about a major role he passed on: the lead in Seth MacFarlane's 2012 comedy 'Ted'.

In a new GQ interview, Damon said the script had him in stitches. He recalled bringing it to a restaurant and reading funny sections aloud to his friends.

Despite loving the material, Damon talked himself out of it. He admitted he overthought the part, wondering if the talking bear was actually the better character. The actor also noted that filming in Boston would have meant six months near his family, a chance he now regrets missing after his father's passing.

The part of John Bennett, the human best friend to the rude teddy bear, was instead given to Mark Wahlberg, another actor from Boston. Damon told GQ that Wahlberg was the right choice and the movie turned out great.

The franchise later included a sequel and a Peacock prequel series. According to The Hollywood Reporter, MacFarlane has recently floated the idea of a direct-to-Peacock 'Ted' feature film.