Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed that he choose to act in the slavery drama '12 Years a Slave' because he felt sorry for the fact that his ancestors were involved in the slave trade.

The 37-year-old actor also gave the same reason for taking up 'Amazing Grace' a movie about the fight to eliminate the slave trade in UK, PVR Pictures reported. In the highly-acclaimed drama, which bagged a Golden Globe and has earned nine Oscar nominations, Cumberbatch plays the role of plantation owner and slave owner.

A NYC cop had recently revealed that Cumberbatch's fifth great-grandfather owned her ancestors on an 18th century sugar plantation on Barbados.