Glass Onion star Edward Norton has said it was 'uncomfortable' to learn his ancestors owned slaves as he took part in PBS' documentary series Finding Your Roots.
The actor's discovery came as part of the upcoming ninth series of the show, which sees celebrities learn about their ancestral histories.
Brian Cox, Viola Davis, Cyndi Lauper and Julia Roberts are among those who will also appear in the series as it kicks off today (3 January), though fans got a sneak preview of Norton's roots in a clip before the premiere.
The preview, which was shared with Newsweek, saw Norton being shown a photo which featured a 55-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman, and five girls, aged, four, six, eight, nine, and 10.
The Glass Onion star learned that the family, including the five young children, had been enslaved by his ancestors, with host Henry Louis Gates Jr asking: “What’s it like to see that?”
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Norton responded: “The short answer is, these things are uncomfortable, and you should be uncomfortable with them. Everybody should be uncomfortable with it.
“It’s not a judgement on your and your own life but it’s a judgement on the history of this country. It needs to be acknowledged first and foremost, and then it needs to be contended with.”
He went on to acknowledge the importance of taking a closer look at historical information, saying: "When you go away from census counts and you personalise things, you’re talking about, possibly, a husband and wife with five girls – and these girls are slaves. Born into slavery.”
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“Born into slavery and in slavery in perpetuity," Gates Jr responded.
“Yeah,” Norton said. “Again, when you read ‘slave aged eight,’ you just want to die.”
The US officially abolished slavery in 1865, but it's unclear when the picture of the family shown to Norton was taken.
Newsweek also reports that Norton is a descendant of the wealthy Rouse family and that his grandfather, James Rouse, was a businessman and founder of The Rouse Company, a former shopping mall developer.
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Norton’s great-grandfather was a Maryland-based attorney and businessman named William Goldsmith Rouse.
Viewers will be able to learn more about Norton's family history in the first episode of Finding Your Roots series nine.
Tonight's episode, titled 'Hidden Kin', will also feature Julia Roberts and reveals information about her own ancestors.
Finding Your Roots is set to air at 8:00pm ET on PBS.
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV
Emily Brown