Julia Roberts feels ‘sad’ after discovering her ancestor’s connection to slavery: Here’s why

Julia Roberts has recently found out about her family’s connection to slavery on PBS series Finding Your Roots.

The host of the show Henry Louis Gates Jr. opened up to the Pretty Woman actress that her “ancestors enslaved people aged six to 33, including two women, two teenagers and three young children”.

“That’s sad,” remarked Julia.

While learning about her Southern ancestors, the Notting Hill star said, “You have to figure, if you are from the South, you’re on one side of it or the other.”

“It just seems very typical of that time, unfortunately. … 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,” explained the Ocean’s Eleven actress.

Earlier in October, the Blavity reported that My Best Friend’s Wedding star disclosed that Martin Luther King Jr.’s family “paid for her parents’ hospital bill at the time of her birth”.

Speaking on how this relationship between her family and Martin’s began, Julia stated, “They were having a hard time finding a place that would accept their kids.”

So, Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin, asked Julia’s family if her children could join The Actors and Writers Workshop school in Atlanta, which was owned by the actress family.

Therefore, after the children were accepted into the school, in return, they paid Julia’s hospital bill.