“It didn’t feel right to me”: Ewan McGregor’s Powerful Words Helped Jar Jar Binks Actor Embrace the Most Hated Star Wars Character
It’s all about time, today’s bane can be tomorrow’s boon. Who other than the Jar Jar Binks actor can agree more to it? American actor, musician, and comedian, Ahmed Best is well known for being the voice actor of Star Wars character Jar Jar Binks, a Gungan outcast on Naboo.
Although Best has done a lot of other roles in the film industry, Jar Jar Binks holds more significance than the rest. Playing the voice actor of Binks changed the actor’s life in many ways. Best, after playing Binks, fell flat on the ground and with time, conquered the sky. It’s full of ups and downs is all that can be said while talking about his Star Wars role.
Ahmed Best Did Not Have the Best Experience While Portraying Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars
Jar Jar Binks was introduced in the first installment of George Lucas’s prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace. However, just after its introduction, it faced a lot of negative criticism not only from the fans but from the press as well.
Ahmed Best’s role as the synthetic character (Jar Jar Binks) from Star Wars was highly criticized because it came out as a racial stereotype at the time. Although Best as Binks is highly appreciated by the fans right now, the scene was exactly the opposite right after it was featured for the first time.
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Best struggled a lot while facing so much painful backlash from the fans and almost lost every drop of hope to move forward. He told The New York Times:
“It took almost a mortal toll on me. It was too much…it was the first time in my life where I couldn’t see the future. I didn’t see any hope. Here I was at 26 years old, living my dream, and my dream was over.”
Shaking off public criticism is never an easy task for any actor and the kind of pressure it creates is literally unbearable. However, years later, Best is now whole-heartedly embraced for the same character for which he was earlier trolled.
Ewan McGregor Helped Ahmed Best in Embodying Jar Jar Binks
When Ahmed Best was struggling with the huge number of negative comments not only from fans but also from the press, Ewan McGregor stood with him. Scottish actor Ewan Gordon McGregor is famous for playing the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise.
Best is genuinely grateful to McGregor for his crucial support that made the former actor embrace his character despite the external pressure. He recently mentioned that when he was doubtful about playing Jar Jar Binks, McGregor was the one who gave him the courage to continue.
McGregor’s powerful words made Best realize what’s more important to focus and that’s exactly when Best kept his ego aside and did what he was assigned to do. To encourage Best, McGregor told him(via The New York Times):
“But how does it feel to Jar Jar.”
With McGregor’s support, Best continued his role as Binks and now at 50, he is no more a confused actor, but almost looks like an off-duty rockstar with a ton of confidence.
Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace is available for streaming on Disney+.
