After Black Panther star Michael B Jordan, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have announced that they will add the inclusion rider to all projects under the Pearl Street Films banner, the production company co-founded by the two. Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni, head of strategic outreach at Pearl Street Films, made the announcement on Twitter.
The term inclusion rider, a clause that Hollywood stars can include in their contracts to demand race, gender, sexuality and other diversity in the production, was first introduced by Stacy L Smith of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative thinktank, during a TED Talk in 2016. It was popularised Frances McDormand during the Academy Awards on March 5. While accepting the Best Actress trophy for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri , McDormand urged Hollywood stars to include that clause in their projects.
.@michaelb4jordan Thank you for always supporting broader representation in the industry. On behalf of Pearl Street Films, Matt Damon, @BenAffleck, Jennifer Todd, Drew Vinton & I will be adopting the #InclusionRider for all of our projects moving forward. https://t.co/ODit24D2Rb
— Fanshen is at SXSW (@fanshen) March 13, 2018
Pearl Street Films, founded in 2012, has bankrolled Jason Bourne (2016) and Manchester By The Sea (2016), among others.