Matt Damon & Ben Affleck's Pearl Street Company To Adopt Inclusion Rider

According to Variety, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have announced that their Pearl Street company will adopt the inclusion rider agreement in all their future production deals.

Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni made the announcement Monday night via Twitter at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The move came a week after Frances McDorrmand sparked interest and support for the term after she concluded her OSCARS best actressacceptance speech by saying, "I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentlemen: inclusion rider."

In the press room backstage at the 90th Academy Awards, McDormand explained an inclusion rider can be added to contracts so that at least 50% of the cast and crew have to be diverse. Kalpana Kotagal, one of the lawyers behind the inclusion rider, and Stacy Smith of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, said, "It's great to see Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and the Pearl Street Films team using their influence to create opportunities for people from underrepresented groups to enter the industry. The Inclusion Rider is an important tool for Hollywood, and other industries, to create workplaces that truly reflect our diverse world."

Photo Credit: Disney/ABC Television Group/via Flickr