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Daily Record
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
'I played Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars and what happened after was horrifying'
The 1999 release of Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace was a monumental event, with fans eagerly awaiting the backstory of Darth Vader's rise to infamy. However, upon its release, the film faced harsh criticism for its performances, storyline, and heavy use of CGI, with the character Jar Jar Binks receiving particular disdain. Seen by some as merely irritating and by others as an offensive racial caricature, the backlash against the CGI character was intense. Ahmed Best, the actor behind the maligned Gungan, suffered greatly under the weight of public disapproval. "It was the lowest I've been in my life," he confessed in a 2023 interview with the Guardian. The vitriol escalated to the point where Best received death threats after his personal contact details were leaked. Overwhelmed by the constant barrage of hate, he found himself on Brooklyn Bridge one night, contemplating ending his life. He recalled thinking, "I'll show all of you. I'll show you what you're doing to me. And when I'm gone, then you'll feel exactly what I went through.", reports the Mirror US . Fortunately, Best reconsidered his tragic plan and has since made a successful comeback to the Star Wars universe, appearing alongside the beloved Baby Yoda. Ahmed, a former Stomp performer, landed a role in the first of the Star Wars prequels, where he claimed to have outshone even Michael Jackson for the part. Ahmed brought to life Jar Jar Binks, one of the pioneering fully-CGI motion capture characters on film, marking a significant technical milestone. Speaking to The Guardian, he reflected on the groundbreaking nature of his work: "We were doing something that was going to change cinema history," and added, "Even the software was written on my body. There's still that legacy code in CGI packages today. My physical DNA is in every single CGI character since." However, the negative reception to Jar Jar led to writer and director George Lucas reducing the character's presence in subsequent films. His character had a diminished but crucial role in the sequel and only made a fleeting appearance without dialogue in the third instalment. Ahmed commented on his altered trajectory in the franchise, "Here I am, a significant character who changed movies, and then I'm a footnote – I barely appear,". Highlighting what he feels were the racial undertones of the backlash, Ahmed believes discrimination played a part: "Culturally, black invention has been repeatedly erased from history and that is an injustice," he asserted. Calling attention to an ongoing issue within the industry, he noted, "Since 1997, no other black man has ever played a main CGI character and that's a travesty. That has to change and I hope that is recognised." Following a difficult period after the Star Wars prequels, Ahmed threw himself into martial arts, earning a black belt in jiu-jitsu, as well as focusing on production, direction and fatherhood. In 2018, Ahmed bravely shared his past struggles with suicide, posting an image of the Brooklyn Bridge with the caption: "This was the place I almost ended my life. It's still hard to talk about. I survived and now this little guy [his son] is my gift for survival." Ahmed's courage in sharing his story resonated with countless fans, particularly those who grew up with the prequels. These films, once heavily criticised, have grown in affection among audiences. A prevalent online speculation even posits that Jar Jar Binks was initially slated to be unveiled as the true mastermind behind the Sith conspiracy – the titular 'Phantom Menace' – though this notion was supposedly dropped due to negative feedback to his character. In a triumphant comeback, Ahmed returned to the Star Wars universe, appearing in the third season of Disney+'s 'The Mandalorian', portraying the valiant Jedi Knight Kelleran Beq. In a pivotal twist, it's revealed that Beq saved Grogu, also known as Baby Yoda, from the Empire's grasp just in time, securing his place as a consequential character in the saga. This marked a redemptive turn for an actor whose relationship with Star Wars had brought significant challenges. Ahmed shared with the Guardian, "It really felt good. As an artist, I lost my confidence for so many years, but The Mandalorian gave me that affirmation of 'You were always doing the right thing ... It wasn't you.'" He also expressed his hope to continue his journey in the Star Wars universe and didn't dismiss the possibility of reprising his most contentious role. "I would never say never," he stated. "I don't feel like Jar Jar's story was ever closed." However, he added, "But right now, I would like to explore more Kelleran Beq. I'd love to do a Star Wars martial arts show – like a Jedi John Wick."
Irish Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Most hated' Star Wars actor's very different life after devastating reaction
The 1999 release of Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace was a monumental event, with fans buzzing over the saga's revival and the backstory of Darth Vader. However, the film faced harsh criticism for its performances, storyline, and heavy use of CGI, with the character Jar Jar Binks becoming particularly infamous. Seen by some as merely irritating and by others as an offensive caricature, Jar Jar Binks drew intense backlash. Ahmed Best, the actor behind the maligned Gungan, suffered greatly under the weight of public disdain. "It was the lowest I've been in my life," he confessed to the Guardian in 2023. The loathing for Jar Jar was so extreme that Best received death threats after his contact details were leaked. He recounted a harrowing night where he stood on Brooklyn Bridge, contemplating ending his life, thinking: "I'll show all of you. I'll show you what you're doing to me. And when I'm gone, then you'll feel exactly what I went through." Fortunately, Best reconsidered his plan and has since made a celebrated comeback to the Star Wars universe, sharing the screen with the beloved Baby Yoda, reports the Mirror US. Ahmed, a former performer with the dance troupe Stomp, was cast in the first of the Star Wars prequels - reportedly even beating Michael Jackson to the role. Jar Jar Binks, one of the first fully-CGI motion captured characters in film, was a significant technical achievement. "We were doing something that was going to change cinema history," he shared with the Guardian. "Even the software was written on my body. There's still that legacy code in CGI packages today. My physical DNA is in every single CGI character since." However, following the backlash to the character, writer and director George Lucas reduced Jar Jar's role in the subsequent two films. He has a small, but crucial, role in the second part, and appears only briefly, without any lines, in the third. "Here I am, a significant character who changed movies, and then I'm a footnote – I barely appear," he expressed. Ahmed believes that at least some of the backlash to Jar Jar was rooted in racism. "Culturally, black invention has been repeatedly erased from history and that is an injustice," he stated. "Since 1997, no other black man has ever played a main CGI character and that's a travesty. That has to change and I hope that is recognised." After facing a steep downturn in his career post Star Wars prequels, actor Ahmed took up martial arts where he achieved a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Not just stopping there, he ventured into producing and directing, while also embracing fatherhood. It was an emotional revelation in 2018 when Ahmed shared his brush with death, posting: "This was the place I almost ended my life. It's still hard to talk about. I survived and now this little guy [his son] is my gift for survival." The brave confession was met with a wave of support from fans who had grown up with the prequels. The films, once criticised, have seen a Renaissance among younger viewers who embraced them as part of their youth. There's even an internet rumour that Jar Jar Binks was supposed to be the evil genius behind the fall of the Jedi Order, hinted at in the 'Phantom Menace' title. Redemption came on Disney+'s The Mandalorian season three, where Ahmed made an unexpected comeback as Kelleran Beq, a valiant Jedi Knight pivotal to the Star Wars narrative. Revealed to have saved Grogu—popularly known as Baby Yoda—from the Empire just in time, Ahmed's character became etched into Star Wars legacy, offering a triumphant return for an actor who once lost much to the galaxy far, far away. Ahmed told to the Guardian about his revived confidence, saying, "It really felt good," and explaining that "As an artist, I lost my confidence for so many years, but The Mandalorian gave me that affirmation of 'You were always doing the right thing ... It wasn't you.'". And he harbours hopes for his continued journey in the Star Wars universe - not discounting even a comeback as his most divisive character. "I would never say never," he remarked. "I don't feel like Jar Jar's story was ever closed. "But right now, I would like to explore more Kelleran Beq. I'd love to do a Star Wars martial arts show – like a Jedi John Wick."
