Why Ahmed Best Was Never The Same After Playing Jar Jar Binks

Over the years, Jar Jar Binks has become emblematic of the Star Wars prequel era — as well as the totem the internet holds up to argue how terrible those three films were. In the years following the release of The Phantom Menace, fans denounced Jar Jar as little more than a cheap money grab made to sell toys… and that was at best. At worst, they described him as all the worst aspects of Star Wars distilled into one character — with some critics suggesting the character represented a racist stereotype, on account of his cartoonish accent.

At the center of all this, though, was the man who portrayed Jar Jar: Ahmed Best. When he was cast for the first Star Wars movie in in almost 20 years, Best was coming off a celebrated turn in the hit musical Stomp in San Francisco. And in 1997, Best went into production on The Phantom Menace with bright eyes and a cheerful attitude. It's easy to see how much fun he had behind the scenes of The Phantom Menace, too: singing, dancing, and chipper as ever, even when he was draped in latex during a searing Tunisian summer.

But that all changed in May 1999. Practically everybody who was around back then was aware of the fan backlash against the inclusion of Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars canon. And in fairness, Best's overwrought Buster Keaton impression didn't exactly fit well into a film all about taxes and trade confrontations. Even so, however, it's easy to forget today just how toxic that backlash became.

A number of hate websites cropped up on the internet, wishing all kinds of horrible things upon the character. Even major news entertainment outlets ran stories about the frothing hate against Jar Jar that, over time, gradually became more and more disturbing. Some Star Wars fans even led calls for Gungan genocide; comments which were probably intended to be humorous — but which nonetheless feel particularly un-funny in this day and age.

It's not that Jar Jar Binks was just unliked or even hated — it's that so many people relished the idea of exterminating something that only existed as a fictional construct. To his credit, George Lucas warned Best ahead of time that there might be anger in response to Jar Jar the same way there had been to the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. And for what it's worth, Lucas also publicly defended Best when the backlash turned out to be much, much worse than either of them could have imagined. Sadly, however, people can only hold up against so much public vilification for so long. Keep watching the video to see why Ahmed Best was never the same after playing Jar Jar Binks.

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