It's been 10 years since we last saw Project Greenlight, HBO's behind-the-scenes movie-making reality series from Hollywood's favorite bromantic duo, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Last night the two brought the show back for its fourth season, replacing former producer Chris Moore with Effie Brown, a film producer who has more than a handful credits under her belt (her most recent and notable one being last year's Dear White People). In the show Brown pointed out that one of the films on the show features only one black character, who is also a prostitute, so it would be helpful to see diversity from the director's chair as well. Her point is valid: Diversity from behind the camera helps with both visibility and representation of POC characters. (Plus, God knows Hollywood has more than enough white dudes already.)
But then Matt Damon decided to interrupt Brown mid-sentence and whitemansplain diversity to her (let me just take a moment to point out that Effie Brown is a BLACK WOMAN). But like, what does she know about diversity, right? Matt Damon well-actually's the convo with: "When we talk about diversity, you do it in the casting of the film, not the casting of the show."
Brown, naturally, lets out a near-speechless "WHOO, WOW," because how do you articulate to Matt Damon that he is talking completely out of his ass? Watch the eyeroll-inducing whitesplaining below:
Matt Damon speaking over the only black person in the room so he can explain diversity to her is SO WHITE it hurts pic.twitter.com/iaQStYZ0ij
Damon clearly does not understand that diversity behind the screen is no less important than diversity on-screen (in fact, the two often go hand in hand). Hey, why are there so many white men in films? Maybe because most of the people making movies are, unsurprisingly, white men. In the end, Project Greenlight ended up choosing—drumroll, please—a white man to make the film.
Damon later said, "I'm glad Effie flagged the issue of diversity for all of us," but explained the overload of white dude contestants as "merit." Hmm, interesting. I guess that's why only white men have any sort of power in Hollywood—they're truly the best at their job, no one else.
I wonder what Ben Affleck is thinking here, and what is the meaning of this side-eye:
