‘Glass Onion’ Star Edward Norton Discovers Pocahontas Is His 12th-Great Grandmother

Edward Norton learned that Pocahontas is his 12th great-grandmother during the new episode of PBS’ Finding Your Roots. Historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. told Norton there is documentation proving he is related to Pocahontas. Elsewhere in his episode, Norton learned that he has an ancestor who owned slaves in the 1850s.

After Gates told the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery star that Pocahontas is his 12th great-grandmother, he was stunned. “I understand that was family lore,” Gates said. “Well, it is absolutely true.”

@findingyourroots

Through a direct paper trail leading to Pocahontas and John Rolfes’ 1614 marriage certificate, #EdwardNorton learns that his family lore appears to be true. His 12th great-grandmother is Pocahontas! Tune in TOMORROW night on @PBS at 8/7c for the Finding Your Roots season 9 premiere!! #glassonion

♬ original sound – findingyourroots

“How could you possibly determine that?” Norton asked. Gates said there was a “paper trail” of documentation that proved it. The host explained that there is a record of Pocahontas marrying John Rolfe on April 5, 1614, in Jamestown, Virginia. Norton’s genealogy could be traced back to them.

“This is about as far back as you can go,” Gates said. He noted that Pocahontas and Rolfe married two years before William Shakespeare died to put in perspective how far back the documentation goes. “This just makes you realize what a small piece of the whole human story you are,” the Fight Club star added.

Norton learned some disturbing facts about his family history that he felt needed to be addressed in the show, notes The Hollywood Reporter. Gates told Norton that his third great-grandfather, John Winstead, was listed as owning enslaved people in the 1850 North Carolina census.

“The short answer is these things are uncomfortable and you should be uncomfortable with them. Everybody should be uncomfortable with it,” Norton said. “It’s not a judgment on you and your own life, but it’s a judgment on the history of this country and it needs to be acknowledged first and foremost, and then it needs to be contended with.”

Julia Roberts was also included in the Find Your Roots Season 9 premiere. She learned that her fourth great-grandfather, Edward Townsend, also owned enslaved people at her farm. Roberts was not completely surprised due to her Georgia roots. “You have to figure if you’re from the South, you’re on one side of it or the other,” Roberts said, adding that it was important not to “shy away from” that history. “You can’t turn your back on history even when you become a part of it in a way that doesn’t align with your personal compass,” she said.

Norton is a three-time Oscar nominee for his performances in Primal Fear, American History X, and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). His latest movie, Glass Onion, is now streaming on Netflix. Finding Your Roots airs Tuesdays on PBS stations.