Washington--Hollywood star Ben Affleck says he was "embarrassed" upon learning he had slaveholding ancestors and regrets asking US television producers to censor that fact from a program about his family's past.
Affleck was featured late last year in the PBS television program "Finding Your Roots," a nationally broadcast show that profiles the family histories of well-known Americans.
The Oscar-winning actor-director -- known as an ardent supporter of liberal causes -- was dismayed to learn that in addition to a forebear who was a Revolutionary War hero, he also had a long-ago relative who was a slavemaster.
"After an exhaustive search of my ancestry for 'Finding Your Roots,' it was discovered that one of my distant relatives was an owner of slaves," Affleck wrote in a Facebook message posted late Tuesday.
"I didn't want any television show about my family to include a guy who owned slaves. I was embarrassed. The very thought left a bad taste in my mouth," he said.
"I regret my initial thoughts that the issue of slavery not be included in the story," Affleck wrote.
He added that he has learned an important lesson about trying to cover up one's past.
"We deserve neither credit nor blame for our ancestors and the degree of interest in this story suggests that we are, as a nation, still grappling with the terrible legacy of slavery," he said.
New York's WNET television station, which carries the program, said it had launched a review along with PBS into editorial policies after agreeing to Affleck's demand to drop the slavemaster mention.
AFP
