Star Wars Prequel Trilogy introduced many new stars to the space opera franchise. From Ewan McGregor to Liam Neeson, several prominent names joined the franchise. Even though the prequel trilogy has been controversial, it presented a different take on the space opera franchise than the Original Trilogy.
Despite becoming significant box office hits, the prequel trilogy welcomed hate and criticism due to several factors. One of the primary characters that was subjected to intense hate from the fans was Jar Jar Binks. Ahmed Best, who was looking forward to starring in the Star Wars franchise soon found it a nightmarish experience.
Jar Jar Binks’ addition to the Star Wars franchise turned out to be unpleasantly controversial. The hate went out of hand and Ahmed Best was attacked on a personal level. However, his co-stars came to his support and defended his casting. Liam Neeson was also very offended on witnessing how the fans mercilessly trolled the CGI character.
Did the Star Wars fans go a bit too much against Ahmed Best?
Earlier, we discussed how the casting of Hayden Christensen in the Prequel Trilogy welcomed intense hate from the fans. There were numerous complaints about his Anakin Skywalker arc and the weird dialogues. Although later it was noted that the role was mostly affected by George Lucas’ writing and direction, the actor had to face a lot.
However, Ahmed Best suffered worse for his casting in Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace. The character which was incorporated in the story for comic relief became an instant subject of backlash and hate. The actor has expressed how Star Wars has been his favorite since childhood and the chance was a big thing for him.
While several fans personally attacked Best for his role, several television shows put him down on live TV. In an interview with Empire, Liam Neeson confessed that he and Ewan McGregor were deeply hurt and offended by watching the actor get such treatment.
“Ahmed was so funny and inventive. Myself and Ewan were personally hurt and offended by the critical reaction to the character.”
Liam Neeson played the role of Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in the first film. In another conversation with Radio Andy, he added that Ahmed Best was one of the funniest and most talented co-stars he worked with. Neeson even went on to call him the new Eddie Murphy. Nevertheless, the hate was so bad, that Ahmed Best was almost ready to take some bad steps because of it.
Ahmed Best considered ending his life for his Jar Jar Binks role
There were claims that Jar Jar Binks was a racist stereotype of a Jamaican person. George Lucas was extremely annoyed with the allegations. He explained to BBC that the allegations are absurd- “How in the world could you take an orange amphibian and say that he’s a Jamaican?”. Lucas claimed that the character was inspired by Disney’s Goofy and blamed the fans for being so critical.
Sadly, the criticism took a heavy toll on Ahmed Best. At a point, it became too much to bear for him. He said to Wired that he even feared living in his apartment as he received death threats:
“I had death threats through the internet. I had people come to me and say, ‘You destroyed my childhood.’ That’s difficult for a 25-year-old to hear.”
Ahmed Best also took to his social media account (via BBC) to confess that the media backlash was so bad it forced him to consider ending his life.
“I faced a media backlash that still affects my career today. This was the place I almost ended my life.”
The post attracted several fans and associates of Star Wars including The Last Jedi director, Rian Johnson, who came forward to extend their support for the actor. Many also acknowledged the fact that a film may be good or bad but an actor does not deserve all this. After many years, Ahmed Best was spotted in the Star Wars universe as Kelleran Beq in the third season of The Mandalorian.
