Star Wars: What Jar Jar Binks Looks Like In Real Life
The 1999 "Star Wars" prequel movie "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" introduces fans to several new characters in creator George Lucas' sprawling space opera, including Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), the Jedi Master of young Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor); Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), the future mother of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher); and a bumbling member from the Gungan alien race named Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best).
Unfortunately, Best was never the same after playing Jar Jar Binks, with the character subject to vicious backlash from fans online exacerbated by reports of the abuse by the press. The hatred aimed at the actor himself was so intense that his phone number was leaked and he received death threats on his answering machine. "It was terrible," Best told the Guardian in a July 2023 interview. "It was the lowest I've been in my life." Fortunately, he survived and thrived, as evidenced by his comeback in the "Star Wars" universe.
Best returned to Star Wars as a Jedi Knight on The Mandalorian
Having endured the hate for playing Jar Jar Binks in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, Ahmed Best was given a rare chance to play another character from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away in 2023 with a guest role in Season 3, Episode 4 of the hit Disney+ series "The Mandalorian." Although he was hesitant to join the series considering how Jar Jar Binks was blasted by fans nearly 25 years before, thankfully, his appearance as Jedi Knight Kelleran Beq, who in a flashback scene saves Grogu during the events of Order 66, was widely embraced.
The Jar Jar Binks actor responded to the love he received from "The Mandalorian" fans by posting a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying, "'Star Wars' fans on social media, thank you so much for everybody who ever rocked with me! I am more of a fan than I am a person in these movies, and I have always been and always will be."
Apart from his turns in "The Phantom Menace" and on "The Mandalorian," Best's credits include voice work for several video games, including "The Last of Us: Part II" and "Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2," as well as various "Star Wars" projects. Best has even lampooned his work by voicing Jar Jar Binks for the stop-motion animated comedy series "Robot Chicken." On-screen, the actor has made several guest appearances on such shows as "Alias," "Cougar Town," "Law & Order: Los Angeles," and "Big Time Rush."