Matt Damon on saying no to 2012 Mark Wahlberg-led Ted: 'I overthought it'

Matt Damon says he was first offered John Bennett in Ted , and he loved the script so much he took it to dinner and read the funniest bits to friends. There were no scheduling hurdles. He simply thought himself out of it, even though the 2012 Seth MacFarlane comedy was set to shoot in Boston—close to home.

“I overthought it and I talked myself out of it. And because it shot in Boston, it would’ve been a chance for me to be home—my father’s passed away now, and I look back and I go, Man, that would’ve been six months back [home],” he told GQ.

Damon said he’s since watched the movie and has zero hard feelings. He praised Mark Wahlberg as “great” in the role and added that the film turned out “fantastic,” telling GQ he doesn’t think he could have done it better and that Wahlberg was the right fit.

Other roles he missed

In the same GQ conversation, Damon ran through two more big parts he nearly took—both lost to the calendar, not cold feet.

• The Dark Knight — Damon says Christopher Nolan offered him Harvey Dent, but he was tied up, either with another Bourne movie or about to start Green Zone with Paul Greengrass.
• Milk — He was set to play Dan White, had talked with Sean Penn, and even started watching documentaries to prep. When Penn’s availability shifted and the film moved three months, the new dates collided with Damon’s work with Greengrass, and he had to step away.