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You may have heard of the recent kerfuffle where Matt Damon explained diversity to film director Effie Brown, who happens to be both black and female, on his show Project Greenlight. Her commentary was insightful, and he gently corrected her with regard to how diversity should be done.

According to The MarySue, Matt is back in the news with an attempt to apologize and explain himself:

“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. 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.”

With respect to this statement, it’s difficult to have a broader conversation with an opinion neatly encapsulated by Matt’s first thoughts on the subject: “When we’re talking about diversity, you do it in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show.”

Everyone brings different experiences and knowledge to a set, both in front of and behind the camera. It requires energy and imagination to make characters come alive, but that imagination needs to have some grounding in reality to present a well-rounded and believable person. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a white man has limited knowledge of what it’s like to be a black woman, and vice versa. Or that a straight person might want to find out what it’s like to experience life as a gay person before telling someone how to portray a gay character.

We love good characters. Actors create good characters through skill, talent, and good direction. It’s not a stretch to think that diversity behind the camera will improve diversity on the screen. Effie Brown, the director of Dear White People, tried to explain that, Matt.

 

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Christine Clukey Reece

Christine is an editor and fledgling writer who will never forgive the Prequels for deliberately stomping on the fact that Leia remembered her mother. And yes, parsecs are a measure of distance...and Han Solo was bragging about making an incredibly short Kessel Run, most likely by cutting far too close to planetary bodies/stars when he plotted the course for the jump. No, she's not obsessed, why would you think that? She's on Twitter as @Kuiperama.