Ahmed Best, the man who brought to life Jar Jar Binks all throughout the Star Wars prequels, revealed earlier this month that the backlash to his hated CG character was so intense that at one point, he almost took his own life.
Hopping on Twitter, Best opened up about his suicidal thoughts, admitting that it’s now been almost two decades since he faced a resentment “that still affects my career today.” The Phantom Menace initially released back in ’99 and was Ahmed Best’s first major movie role.
While Jar Jar might have played well with children, and was therefore in creator George Lucas’ good books, many people made clear their hatred and overall disdain for the clumsy Gungan – so much so, that Ahmed Best received death threats at the age of 25. Yikes!
Now, after the actor’s shocking revelations, many people who once mocked the character are feeling a bit guilty, including Simon Pegg. In a recent interview with Now This, the Mission: Impossible – Fallout star said the following:
“I feel so ashamed of the fact that there was actually a victim, a human victim in that,” he said. “I think most people were regarding Jar Jar Binks like he was a real creature and wailing on him for being annoying, or whatever, or not liking him. But there was a person behind that. And I read that and just thought, ‘Christ, I’m one of those people.’ It makes me feel awful.”
Though it’d be tough to find someone that would argue Jar Jar Binks was a positive addition to the Star Wars franchise, a character should never, ever, prompt a mass outpouring of hate and toxicity toward its creator/actor. It’s easy to forget, but there are human beings behind those frames, just like you and I – human beings that spent considerable amounts of time poring over their work to deliver a product worthy of your attention.
When it comes to Star Wars, the fanbase can be particularly brutal – just ask Rian Johnson – but again, no one deserves the hate that Best saw directed towards him and hopefully, people will ease up on all the Jar Jar mocking now that his story is out in the open.
