When Jar Jar Binks first appeared in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace back in 1999, the goofy character was an easy target for millions of Star Wars fans around the world. What many of those fans likely didn't stop and consider was that their words were having a real-world negative impact on the man behind the costume: Ahmed Best.
The Phantom Menace was the first major film role for Best, and all the negative attention hit him hard. On Tuesday, he revealed that it almost brought him to suicide. He shared a photo of a bridge on Twitter and wrote, "20 years next year 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."
In a 2017 interview with Wired, Best revealed just how bad the negative attention from fans became. "I had death threats through the internet," he said. "I had people come to me and say, 'You destroyed my childhood.' That’s difficult for a 25-year-old to hear." He added, "There were a lot of tears, there was a lot of pain, there was a lot of shit I had to deal with."
Best has since made peace with the situation but still stands up for the character. "There is a heart to Jar Jar that people don’t really get," he told Wired. "He is the most loyal character in Star Wars ever. As Qui-Gon and Jar Jar are walking through the forest, he says, 'I owe you a life debt.'" Best does admit the character's humor was "a little bit on the nose," though.
The 44-year-old actor is now planning a solo show to coincide with the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace.
Jar Jar Binks ended up making appearances in the first three Star Wars prequels, but Best says he has no plans to appear in any future Star Wars films. "I think I've done my damage," Best previously said. "I'm good with where I stand in the Star Wars universe. I don't need to be back. [If I was asked], I would say no. I'm not interested in coming back. I did what I did and I thought it was great. I thought it was fun. And now I think it's time to move on."
