Seth MacFarlane talks 'Ted,' Giant Chicken fights and going R-rated
Why was it important to the 'Family Guy' creator to make Ted real?
In film and television, it's hardly unusual for troubled guys to take solace in the company of furry friends.
James Stewart hobnobbed with an overgrown rabbit.
Mel Gibson got confrontational with a British beaver.
Elijah Wood smokes up with a randy dog.
And Mark Wahlberg has a co-dependent friendship with a uncouth teddy bear.
Unlike "Harvey," "The Beaver" and "Wilfred," however, the foul-mouthed ursine companion in "Ted" is unquestionably real and not in any way a manifestation of his human chum's tormented psyche. Ted is capable of driving, having sex and fighting, while Wahlberg's John Bennett isn't crazy, unless you think it's crazy to occasionally prioritize a talking bear over intimacy with Mila Kunis.
Last weekend, I sat down with "Ted" writer-director-star Seth MacFarlane to talk about his first foray into live-action filmmaking after years of providing FOX with the bulk of its Sunday Animation Domination lineup.
We chatted about using "Family Guy" and his FOX experiences for preparation, the decision to make "Ted" R-rated and why it was important to him that Ted not be a figment of anybody's imagination.
Check back in the next two days for my conversations with Wahlberg and Kunis.
"Ted" opens on Friday, June 29.
A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.
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June 27, 2012 at 2:47AM EST Reply to CommentHis regular voice and demeanor always catch me off-guard. Anyway, I think it might be a refreshing choice that everyone can see and understand Ted--this should get rid of a lot of the obligatory hi-jinx of the "Wilfred"-type variant of this plot. Though, I think this will be the only instance in which the word "refreshing" applies to this movie.
Erika Herzog
June 28, 2012 at 4:01AM EST Reply to Commentnice job daniel!