Mark Wahlberg has helped make many Hollywood projects a success; Boardwalk Empire, for example, and Entourage, both of which he produced. As an actor, he’s starred in action flicks and dramas and comedies, proving he’s not picky when it comes to genre. But when it came time to read a particular script, not only was he not sure he could make it a success, his wife thought it was just dumb.

Wahlberg told Men’s Fitness recently that when he pitched the idea to his wife Rhea, she had a very strong reaction.

“I was reluctant to even read the script for Ted because it’s about a teddy bear coming to life. How do you pitch that? So I tried to pitch it to my wife, to see if she liked it. We were on our way to the Oscars for The Fighter. So I was telling her about this talking teddy bear, and she’s like ‘You are a f–king idiot,” Wahlberg said.

Fortunately for Mark, he decided to pursue the role anyway and made the movie into a huge success, spawning a sequel as well. As for his wife, Wahlberg says they are very close and that the key to their happy marriage is to spend time together within their busy schedules.

“Spend quality time together. Really, that’s what matters,” the father of four told Us Weekly.

Ted–which focuses on a man and his childhood best friend, a magical teddy bear–is the brainchild of Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and features quite a few things that Wahlberg–the youngest of nine children–can probably relate to. Even now, at 44, he says he often gets into wrestling matches with his brothers.

“We’ll be at my mother’s house, and I’ll have my older brother in a headlock, and my mother will be like, ‘What are you doing?’” Mark Wahlberg said.