HBO’s Project Greenlight got off to a rocky start for longtime producer Effie Brown who famously butted heads with actor Matt Damon. Damon, along with good friend and frequent collaborator, Ben Affleck, conceived the show as a way to give up and coming filmmakers – a chance to breathe life into their projects.
Brown who might come across as feisty and headstrong to most, acquired those skills to ensure her ability to be a tough negotiator which is a top requirement for any successful producer hoping for longevity in an industry that is constantly evolving.
But her tough as nails stance was not received well by Damon who shut her down when she raised the controversial topic of diversity in film and dismissed Brown’s comments with casual negligence.
That episode sparked outrage on social media – forcing the actor/producer to offer a half-hearted apology that seemed to hint that his remarks were taken out of context.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=iCHRaVXrB7E
Brown for her part remained silent about the encounter but it looks like she is ready to let the cat out of the bag based her candid interview with Indiewire, where she discusses the sparring match between her and Damon and why she feels she was shortchanged by the show.
Brown confesses that she was initially nervous about bringing up the topic of diversity but felt a keen responsibility to do so given her experience, gender and race.
“I’ve been a black woman all my life. I have worked in this business for 20 years. I’m 43. It was one of those things. Literally in that moment, was I going to risk public humiliation, bringing up this opinion, or deal with shame and excuses: “You let that go by?” That’s a big responsibility. I was more afraid of my mother: “That’s how we raised you and sacrificed, that’s it?”
Brown also divulges that the tension between her and Damon was a lot worse than viewers were privy to and ultimately tainted their relationship for good. “Word on the street is I’m not his favorite person”. She also won’t be invited to break bread with famed producer Peter Farrelly who went as far as quitting the show after a major disagreement with Brown over filming logistics. She also points out that the editing for her scenes were done to purposely portray her as the “angry black woman” and this forced her to spend more time in the editing room for the duration of the show.
At the end of the day, the only one who was truly in her corner was Affleck. The one major regret that haunts her is the fact that she only got compensated for the first day of shooting the TV show. But she did get paid for her work on the final product – The Leisure Class.
For more on the interview – click here.
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