Matt Damon apologized for recent comments he made during Sunday's "Project Greenlight" reality show premiere where he appeared to dismiss concerns about the need for more diverse hiring practices across all of Hollywood.

"I believe deeply that there need to be more diverse filmmakers making movies," Variety reported Damon said 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 film-making is a viable form of creative expression for them too."

That's not the tone or vibe many perceived Damon gave during the show's latest episode when he appeared somewhat curt with African-American producer and successful filmmaker Effie Brown. The two debated with another group of panelists about which of this season's finalists should be crowned contest winner and go on to call the shots on the season's chosen script.

As Brown, the only African American among the group, talked about the importance of diversity throughout the industry, Damon interjected, saying diversity only need be a concern "in the casting of the film, not in the casting of the show."

According to People, Damon later hinted while he feels the art of film-making should cast a broad net in terms of inclusion, he felt in the instance of the show it would be wrong to suddenly alter the rules of the competition to base the decision of crowning a winner on anything other than merit.

The HBO-aired reality competition show, headlined by Damon and Ben Affleck, awards a $3 million budget to the season's winner.

In his statement, Damon added he was glad his debate with Brown "could promote discussion about diversity in the industry."