During the show, Damon appeared to disregard Brown’s call for diversity on Project Greenlight, which offers filmmakers a chance to direct a $3 million feature film. 
 
 Brown advised a group of white film makers to be cautious of which director to select because "the only black person" in the film they're producing is "a hooker who gets hit by her white pimp," and suggested that a woman and an Asian man take on the script, 
 
 Damon interrupted and said, "When we're talking about diversity, you do it in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show." 
 
 "Wow," Brown replied. 
 
 A hashtag followed — “#Damonsplaining” — and the actor was ruthlessly mocked on Twitter. 
 
 In the statement, Damon said that his “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," Damon said. "That is an ongoing conversation that we all should be having." 
 
 The full statement is below: 

 Indie film vet Effie Brown has joined HBO’s revival of “Project Greenlight” in the role of producer and mentor to the winner of the filmmaking competition. 
 
 Brown, whose most recent pic is the buzzy comedy “Dear White People,” will guide the winning director through the process of getting a movie made on time and on budget. The series, produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and Adaptive Studios, is targeted to premiere in the spring. 
 
 “I am beyond thrilled at the opportunity to shepherd a new creative voice into the indie film community,” Brown said. “I loved ‘Project Greenlight’ when it was on HBO years ago. I would watch it and think of all the things I would say and do if I were in this situation or that ‘crisis.’ Now a decade later, we’re bringing it back and I get to put my money where my mouth is.” 
 
 Shepherded by Damon and Affleck, “Project Greenlight” seasons previously ran on HBO in 2001 and 2003. The first-time director at the center of the show is selected from deep pool of short-film submissions. 
 
 The latest “Project Greenlight” winner is to be unveiled Friday as part of the Project Greenlight Filmmaker Showcase event in Hollywood. Affleck and Damon will be on hand, along with Jennifer Todd, Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, Adaptive Studios’ Marc Joubert and HBO Films prexy Len Amato. 
 
 Brown’s other producing credits include 2002’s “Real Women Have Curves” and 2007’s “Rocket Science.” She also serves on the board of Film Independent. 
 
 “Effie is a fearless producer whose experience will be invaluable to a first-time director,” said Adaptive Studios’ CEO Perrin Chiles. “We are excited to work with Effie in making our winning director’s dream a reality.” 
 
 In addition to Damon and Affleck, exec producers of the “Greenlight” revival include Adaptive Studios’ Joubert and Chiles, TJ Barrack, Marshall Lewy and Miramax’s Zanne Devine.
– Matt Damon has apologized after sparking an uproar at Sunday night's Project Greenlight premiere. The HBO show features a panel of writers, directors, and producers deciding which director should be given the opportunity to direct a $3 million feature film; producer Effie Brown, who is black, is part of this season's panel, and Sunday discussed her preference for the most diverse directing team that made it to the finals—a woman and a Vietnamese man—noting that she thought they'd have the sensitivity required for the film. She asked the other panelists (all of whom are white, NBC News notes) to remember that "the only black person" in the film project is "a hooker who gets hit by her white pimp," and because of that they should be careful which director they choose. That was the point at which Damon interrupted Brown to say, among other things, "When we're talking about diversity, you do it in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show." Her response was a simple "wow." Twitter had a lot more to say, dubbing the moment #Damonsplaining. Sample tweet: "'You see, successful black woman, diversity is whatever white, straight, men say it is.' - Matt Damon, 2015." Per NBC News, Damon apologized thusly:. "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 says. "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."