Ahmed Best is known for his iconic role as Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars movies including The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith, but he’s more than that. Best is a versatile actor, musician, and creator and his talents go beyond just this role.
Now, it’s reported that the 50-year-old actor might be joining another Star Wars project. It seems he’s being pulled back into the franchise despite past controversies and the abuse he faced.
Ahmed Best Revisits Star Wars Amidst Controversial Circumstances
Disney might be working on another Star Wars project, after Ahmed Best gave an update about his involvement in it.
Best, the actor who played Jar Jar Binks, hinted on Instagram about being in a new Star Wars project. Although he didn’t give much details but suggested that his work involves motion capture for Jar Jar Binks, Jedi Kelleran Beq, and a Sith portrayal in some way.
Some fans think this could be an future content addition to Call of Duty, like the Snoop Dogg and Nicki Minaj skins. It might also be a new game entirely, given the actor’s motion capture selfie. On top of that, he has also hashtagged Activision, which supports the speculations.
Given the setup and dots on his face, it’s safe to say it’s not for his Jedi character to show up in live action. It seems it’s either Jar Jar, another mocap/CGI character, animation, or a video game
— Mikedude (@Mikedude0) February 28, 2024
These are just guesses, so we’ll have to wait and see what it actually turns out to be. Jar Jar Binks was noted by Forbes as the first fully computer-generated supporting character in a feature film.
In 2017, Best said in an interview with the Wired that he received death threats online after his first time playing the Gungan. He stated:
“I had people come to me and say, ‘You destroyed my childhood.’ That’s difficult for a 25-year-old to hear. There were a lot of tears, there was a lot of pain, there was a lot of s— I had to deal with. Everybody else went on. Everybody else worked. Everybody else was accepted by the zeitgeist.”
Fans really didn’t like the character when the movies came out. The actor said that he thought about killing himself because of all the backlash. The NYC native wrote in an Instagram post, featuring a photo of himself and his son (Marley) looking over a bridge:
“I don’t talk a lot about my experience as #jarjarbinks because a lot of it is very painful. I faced a media backlash that still affects my career today. This was the place I almost ended my life. It’s still hard to talk about.”
Even though it was tough, Best stuck with the character until now. He appeared in a few animated shows of the franchise, like The Clone Wars. He also created a series called On Location with Ahmed Best for starwars.com. In this series, he talks to different cast and crew members.
Ahmed Best Returned to Star Wars Last Year in a Different Character
Ahmed Best returned to the Star Wars franchise last year after almost twenty years. In Chapter 20: The Foundling of The Mandalorian on Disney+, Best appeared in a small role as a Jedi named Kelleran Beq.
In a flashback scene from Revenge of the Sith (2005), the actor appeared as clone troopers who were affiliated with the Jedi turned against their Jedi generals during Order 66. This event led to the near extinction of the Jedi order.
In the scene, Kelleran Beq escapes from an attack by the clones and rescues a young Grogu many years before Grogu’s first appearance in The Mandalorian’s first season.
“Gratitude! Good to be back. There is so much to say and share,” the star wrote in a caption on his Instagram post when the episode was released.
Watch The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith and The Mandalorian on Disney+.
