Ahmed Best, the actor who played Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequel trilogy recently revealed in a Twitter post that he nearly committed suicide after the backlash he got from starring in Star Wars.
It’s no secret that the Star Wars prequel films have gotten a lot of hate from fans over the years, especially after they were first released. As you know, a lot of that hate was directed toward one character… Jar Jar Binks.
Best was the actor who brought that character to life by providing the motion capture and voice work. It’s been 19 years since The Phantom Menace was released and it’s heartbreaking to hear that the backlash against the actor almost drove him to suicide.
Look, it’s fine not to like a movie. That’s just going to happen, it can’t be helped. But taking it out on an actor who is only doing the job they were hired to do is uncalled for.
Best is looking at putting together a one man show and it seems like he may take the experience of his potential suicide and make it a part of the show. It is definitely a dark topic to explore, but it’s also something that could be therapeutic for him and maybe even help someone else going through a similar situation.
People really need to be careful with their words and where their hate is directed because you never know how it’s going to affect someone.