"Everyone came at me": Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best recalls intense backlash over character on Star Wars Day

Ahmed Best, the American actor and comedian, recently opened up about playing the character Jar Jar Binks and the negative feedback he received from Star Wars fans, despite it becoming a major milestone in the film industry.

The clumsy Gungan outcast on Naboo was the first main character shown in a feature live-action movie that was created through motion-capture technology.

On May 4, 2024, (Star Wars Day) Best spoke to People about the backlash as Phantom Menace returns to theaters for its 25th anniversary. He recalled:

"Everybody came for me. I'm the first person to do this kind of work, but I was also the first Black person, a Black man."

The 50-year-old said he was ostracised for playing the role, even though the movie Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office in 1999.

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Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best reflects on the backlash for the character in The Phantom Menace

Ahmed Best began his career in 1995 when he joined the dance troupe cast of Stomp. He toured with the cast of Stomp throughout the US and Europe. Casting director Robin Gurland assigned him the role of Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars back in 1997 and he appeared in the prequel trilogy from 1999 to 2005.

On the 25th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, when Ahmed Best's character made its first appearance, the actor spoke about his experience with widespread criticism from both fans and the press.

Best described the online hate as "the first textbook case of cyberbullying," which only got worse after the release of the film in May 1999.

Both Jar Jar as a character and Ahmed Best, received backlash as the actor got death threats over his performance. Some critics also considered the character a racial stereotype, according to People. He explained that he was "very young" and 26 at the time, and added:

"And then all of a sudden people pull the rug out from under you. And I was just like, 'What is happening now?' My career began and ended. I didn't know what to do, and unfortunately, there was really no one that could help me because it was such a unique position; it had never happened before in history."

Jar Jar was the first groundbreaking, computer-generated character. Ahmed Best stated that since filmmaker George Lucas was "untouchable", he was the one who received the most criticism. People reported previously that he had contemplated taking his own life, however, he shared in the interview with the outlet:

"I didn't want to hurt my family like that. So it was something bigger than me that made me walk away. I still was lost. I still couldn't find my footing, and I just felt the injustice of it all. How could I have achieved such a wonderful thing, and then nothing? Nothing. I was longing to continue."

Ahmed West then said that he wanted to see the future of CGI and get a "closure" on Jar Jar's fate. The actor has since worked as an adjunct lecturer at USC, appeared in Disney+'s Star Wars series The Mandalorian, and is a proud father of a 15-year-old son who "gets all my attention." The actor revealed that his child used to be a Jar Jar fan.

Ahmed and his wife, Raquel have one son, Marley. Star Wars: Episode I —The Phantom Menace is now playing in theaters ahead of its 25th anniversary on May 19, 2024.