Michael Douglas Stunned To Find He’s Distant Cousins With Scarlett Johansson: “This Is So Cool”

Michael Douglas was shocked to learn he shares more than just credits in the same movie with his Marvel co-star Scarlett Johansson.

The actor appeared on Tuesday’s (April 2) episode of Finding Your Roots, a long-running PBS series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. in which he analyzes celebrity ancestral histories. The show has become known for uncovering surprising connections between Hollywood stars, and the superhero actor was no exception.

At the end of Douglas’ episode, Gates compared the DNA he collected from Douglas to that of other celebrity guests who have appeared on the show.

When Douglas flipped to the last page of his “book of life” detailing his family tree, he was shocked to see a picture of Johansson.

“Ah! You’re kidding,” he laughed.

Gates explained that the two former co-stars are distant cousins since they “share identical stretches of DNA on four different chromosomes.”

Douglas almost couldn’t believe it. “Are you kidding?” he asked. “Oh, that’s amazing. All right. This is cool. This is so cool.”

Gates added that Douglas and Johansson’s DNA connection all “appear on Scarlett’s maternal lines, which stretch back to Jewish communities in eastern Europe,” which Douglas found “incredible.”

The two actors both appeared in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, in which Johansson revived her role of Black Widow, and Douglas reappeared as Hank Pym (the actors did not share any scenes in the film).

Now that Douglas knows the two are related, he’s even more thrilled to reunite with his Marvel co-star. “I look forward to seeing Scarlett next time,” he said.

Dying to know which other Hollywood stars are mysteriously related? Tune in to Finding Your Roots on Tuesdays at 8/7c on PBS to get the inside scoop.