The 'Martian' actor insists that he never meant to offend anyone but he's glad that his comments at least had people start conversation about diversity in Hollywood filmmaking.
- Sep 17, 2015
AceShowbiz - Matt Damon breaks his silence after he came under fire for seemingly suggesting during the first episode of HBO's "Project Greenlight" that diversity should be a focus only when hiring actors, but not when it came to selecting behind-the-scene crew. "The Martian" actor apologizes for offending anyone.
"I believe deeply that there need to be more diverse filmmakers making movies," he says in a statement. "I love making movies. It's what I have chosen to do with my life and I want every young person watching 'Project Greenlight' to believe that filmmaking is a viable form of creative expression for them too."
"My comments were part of a much broader conversation about diversity in Hollywood and the fundamental nature of 'Project Greenlight' which did not make the show," he adds. "I am sorry that they offended some people, but, at the very least, I am happy that they started a conversation about diversity in Hollywood. That is an ongoing conversation that we all should be having."
Producer Effie Brown, whom Damon had the debate with on the HBO show, has also commented on the controversy. "Ooof! Wow! Okay. Thank you for watching the show and getting a great conversation started. I can't wait to hear you on the other episodes!" she tweeted after the show.
