Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace celebrates a major milestone this year, and fans will never forget how the movie created a divisive opinion among its viewers, particularly on the matter of Jar Jar Binks.
The character was beloved by some and hated by many, and this remains a mystery among the cast and crew. Fans did not like the figure because of his clownish behavior and was too cartoonish for the movie.
Star Wars Actor Liam Neeson Reacted To Jar Jar Binks Issue
In an interview with Empire, Liam Neeson recalled how much he loved working with Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best. He admitted feeling offended after the surge of backlash on the character and the actor.
“Ahmed was so funny and inventive. Myself and Ewan were personally hurt and offended by the critical reaction to the character.”
Best did not handle the criticism well. He contemplated taking his own life because of the public’s extreme hatred towards Jar Jar Binks. In an episode of The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks podcast, he shared:
“I’m on the edge [of the Brooklyn Bridge], and I see the Statue of Liberty. And I see the East River. And the only thought in my head is, ‘I’ll show all of you. I’ll show you, I’ll show you what you are doing to me. And when I’m gone, then you’ll feel it.”
Director George Lucas confessed during the Star Wars Celebration via IndieWire that Jar Jar Binks is his favorite character. Of course, this stirred controversy again among fans.
“[‘The Phantom Menace’] is one of my favorite movies and of course, Jar Jar is my favorite character. Ahmed [Best], you did a fantastic job. It was very, very hard.”
Lucas designed the character as a source of comic relief, though it seemed like it did not resonate with the viewers.
Jar Jar Binks Isn’t The Only Most Hated Star Wars Character
Lucas said in his conversation with Starwars.com that it was not only Jar Jar Binks the fans hated. They also had qualms about C-3PO, though the former’s disapproval was so loud it drowned the hate on the latter.
“The main thing they obviously got upset about was Jar Jar. But they got upset at Jar Jar because he was there for the kids. When I did A New Hope, everybody felt the same way about Threepio. They hated him. They thought he was too childish, and the jokes were bad.”
Star Wars fans take the movie’s characters very seriously and, amid all this rage and animosity, there are real people behind the figures who suffer in silence.
Thankfully, Best returned to the franchise to redeem himself when he appeared in The Mandalorian. “Good to be back. There is so much to say and share. It’s going to take a couple of days. But, for now, I’ll just say thank you to all that have held me up and made me better,” he wrote on his Instagram page.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and The Mandalorian are available to stream on Disney+.
