Actor/Director Ben Affleck says he is embarrassed and is having regrets that he talked into the host of a TV show about omitting a portion about the involvement of one of his ancestors into slave-owning. Despite the discovery, the Batman vs. Superman star still got a lot of back-up from netizens.
BATMAN SPEAKS UP
In his Facebook page, Ben Affleck first admitted on Wednesday that during the research for the PBS show Finding Your Roots that features ancestors of celebrities, it was found out that one of his descendants used to own slaves. He identified him as Benjamin Cole from Georgia, a descendant from his mother's side about six generations ago.
Ben Affleck felt ashamed about the fact that is why he requested the PBS show's host Skip (Henry Louis Gates) to edit that part out. The actor said that the latter granted his request but in the end still decided on something that the actor did not agree with. Affleck understood though that it was still Skip's show. He also expressed gratitude for making him part of the program realizing that the show will not put their guests in a bad light despite his apprehensions of getting embarrassed.
"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. It is an examination well worth continuing. I am glad that my story, however indirectly, will contribute to that discussion, " he said.
Meanwhile, according to a report, the episode already aired last year and it actually did not include the slave-owning part. The issue was brought up just recently when emails were published online by Wikileaks. Even before Affleck spoke up, Skip has already issued a statement on Friday saying the non-airing of the controversial part had nothing to do with Affleck talking into him about it. The host said he still made his own editorial judgment on the 10-hour raw footage taking into consideration only the most interesting parts.
BATMAN FOREVER
Despite the discovery, many of his fans shrugged off the issue and showed support while there were a few who had sarcastic comments on the actor's Twitter page. There were a few who said they were black but do not resent what Affleck's ancestor had done.
"His going to be a worse Batmaan than George Cloonery was," one tweeted.
"f--k everyone you're BATMAN ", another posted.
The issue on the non-airing of the slave-owning ancestor has already been addressed by Ben Affleck as well as the rest of the parties. This means that the Batman star will now have to face the future. The actor is currently promoting his new movie Batman vs. Superman which his fans hope will have no cuts or edits.
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