HOLLYWOOD is often accused of distorting historical facts that get in the way of a good story.
Its stars are also good at re-writing the past to keep skeletons well and truly locked in the closet.
But few movie A-listers go to the trouble of trying to cover up the unpalatable things their ancestors got up to. Unless you’re Ben Affleck.
According to leaked emails, the 42-year-old managed to persuade the producers of a US genealogy show to edit out the fact that his family were once slave owners.
The star of the next Batman blockbuster objected to Finding Your Roots revealing how his distant relations were racist in an apparent affront to his liberal sensibilities.
Instead viewers were shown stories of how one ancestor fought in the American Revolution.
The emails show that the makers of Finding Your Roots, including Emmy Award-winning host Henry Louis Gates Jr, engaged in a cover-up despite knowing it was a breach of editorial rules at TV network PBS, which aired it.
The emails called into question the motives of Affleck, who is a strong supporter of liberal causes. His Eastern Congo initiative advocates for better investment in the African nation.
Affleck’s demand was revealed in hacked emails between Sony chief executive Michael Lynton and Mr Gates, that were published by WikiLeaks. The two men appear to be friends and Mr Gates seems to be asking for his advice on what he calls a ‘dilemma’. Sony was not involved in producing the show.
Mr Gates writes: ‘Confidentially, for the first time, one of our guests has asked us to edit out something about one of his ancestors – the fact that he owned slaves. Now, four or five of our guests this season descend from slave owners…We’ve never had anyone ever try to censor or edit what we found. He’s a megastar. What do we do?’
In a revealing reply, Mr Lynton says that ‘I would take it out if no one knows’ but adds that if such a move became public then ‘it gets tricky’. Mr Gates writes: ‘To do this would be a violation of PBS rules, actually, even for Batman (Affleck)’.
Instead of finding out about Affleck’s real story, viewers were shown footage of how he traces his social consciousness back to his mother Anne Boldt, an activist in the Civil Rights era.
Viewers were also shown stories of how relative Almon Bruce French comforted the bereaved in the Civil War by claiming he was a spiritualist who could see the dead. Affleck learns that another ancestor, Jesse Stanley, fought in the American Revolution and was one of just 2,000 soldiers who served under George Washington.
With warm smiles Affleck tells Mr Gates that these stories ‘make me feel more connected to the country.’
Affleck’s move is all the more inexplicable as for years now genealogy shows have led to celebrity guests often finding out unpleasant truths about their forefathers. Benedict Cumberbatch, who played a slave owner in 12 Years A Slave, learned his ancestors kept 250 slaves after one of his extended relatives revealed the link.
Mr Gates said in a statement that his decision was solely down to editorial discretion. Nobody for Affleck was available.
Daily Mail