Watch: Seth MacFarlane talks ‘Ted,’ Giant Chicken fights and going R-rated

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.
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