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'Glass Onion' star Edward Norton discovers Pocahontas is his 12th great-grandmother

Jan 4, 2023, 21:00 IST
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Edward Norton in "Glass Onion" and an engraved portrait of Pocahontas.Netflix/Keam Collection/Getty Images
  • Edward Norton discovered that his 12th great-grandmother is Pocahontas.
  • The "Glass Onion" star learned about his family connection on PBS' "Finding Your Roots."
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In Netflix's "Glass Onion," Edward Norton plays a billionaire at the center of a mystery on a Greek island, but the actor uncovered some truths about his own in the first episode of PBS' "Finding Your Roots" season nine Tuesday night.

The biggest revelation is that Norton's 12th great-grandmother is actually Pocahontas, as a result of her marriage to John Rolfe in 1614.

The Native American woman is known for being abducted by colonists in the 1600s, which sparked a war between the Powhatan people and the Jamestown settlers. She later moved to England after marrying tobacco cultivator, John Rolfe.

"Finding Your Roots" presenter Henry Louis Gates Jr. shared a clip from the episode on Twitter, in which he explains to Norton the actor's lineage and connection to his 12th great-grandmother, Pocahontas.

In the clip, Gates Jr. said there is a "direct paper trail" which leads to the marriage certificate between Pocahontas and John Rolfe when they were married in Jamestown, Virginia, on April 5, 1614.

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Norton is understandably quite shocked in the footage because even though his family thought the connection might be true, it was never confirmed.

The actor said: "It makes you realize what a small piece of the whole human story you are."

In the episode, Norton also learns that his ancestors owned a family of slaves: a 55-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman, and their five daughters. The "Glass Onion" star said he felt very "uncomfortable" by the discovery.

He said: "The short answer is, these things are uncomfortable, and you should be uncomfortable with them. Everybody should be uncomfortable with it."

The actor went on to explain that he doesn't see the news as a "judgment" on himself, but on history.

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Norton said: "'It's not a judgment on your and your own life but it's a judgment on the history of this country. It needs to be acknowledged first and foremost, and then it needs to be contended with."

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