Matt Damon laments turning down role in 'Ted' movie

The Boston Globe · Matt Juul · 2026-11-05 15:50 UTC

In a new interview with GQ, Damon revealed that he nearly starred in a popular Boston-set comedy.

Oscar winner and noted “The Gilded Age” background actor Matt Damon spilled the beans in a new interview with GQ on a big Boston movie he now wishes he hadn’t turned down.

The Cambridge native was named one of the magazine’s Men of the Year, alongside Chris Rock and Andrew Garfield, and looked dapper on the latest GQ cover. Damon also chatted at length with the publication about his big 2026, with hits like “The Odyssey,” and looked back over his career, including a role he let get away. Damon revealed that he nearly starred in Seth MacFarlane’s Boston-set 2012 comedy “Ted.”

“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,’” Damon told GQ when asked if there was a part he passed on that he wishes he didn’t. “I’ve never had this experience where I laughed so hard reading a script.”

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