Finding Your Roots is delving into the ancestry of Michael Douglas and Lena Dunham in its April 2 episode, “In the Blood,” and we have an exclusive first look at Douglas’ emotional journey with host Henry Louis Gates Jr.
In the sneak peek clip, above, Douglas opens up about his Jewish roots and feeling a profound connection to his ancestors’ struggles as well as their triumphs. He also gets emotional talking about his father, the late legendary actor Kirk Douglas. Sitting with Gates Jr., Douglas says, “The overall feeling right now is feeling my Judea roots. I feel a deep sense of my relatives and what’s happened, and the history.”
Kirk and Michael Douglas in 2011 (Credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
But it’s deeper than that as Douglas goes on to add, that he’s “feeling it personally” and by digging deeper into his family’s history, he’s “understanding the struggles that they had and their inspiration to motivate them to get here for me to have the life that I have now rather than somewhere in some small town in Belarus.”
“I feel more of a spiritual-religious connection to Judaism than I ever have before,” Douglas declares.
When asked what his father Kirk might have thought about the revelations Douglas uncovers in this episode, the actor says, “I think he’d be very very touched and really appreciate it.” As he goes on, Douglas gets choked up, saying, “I wish I could go through a family album with him now.”
This is just a taste of the revelations and discoveries being made in the episode which uncovers fascinating individuals among the ancestors of Douglas and Dunham. Don’t miss it. Check out the exclusive clip, above, and stay tuned for more Finding Your Roots as the latest season airs on PBS.
Finding Your Roots, Tuesdays, 8/7c, PBS (Check your local listings)