Posted in: Disney+, Movies, Star Wars, Star Wars, streaming, TV | Tagged: ahmed best, Jar Jar Binks, Jedi Temple Challenge, Kelleran Beq, star wars, The Mandalorian, the phantom menace, The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks

Star Wars: Jar Jar Backlash "Lowest I've Been in My Life": Ahmed Best

Ahmed Best discusses his Star Wars journey from Jar Jar to Kelleran Beq (The Mandalorian) and his podcast "The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks."

Fans discovered an unexpected live-action return of Ahmed Best to Star Wars in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian season three as Jedi Kelleran Beq, the original savior of Grogu during the events of 2005's Revenge of the Sith's infamous Order 66, which was the Emperor's (Ian McDiarmid) directive of the clone army to purge the Jedi. Beq found Grogu at the Jedi Temple and helped facilitate his escape. After he helped secure a safe transport off the planet, Beq went back, presumably, to look for other wayward Jedi to help, as we don't know the character's fate. Best's original role in the franchise was during the prequels as the voice of Jar Jar Binks, a Gungan reject that acted as comic relief that received mixed reactions from fans. While promoting his Ted-produced podcast The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks, Best shared the details of the darkest moments in his life to his comeback and making peace with the Star Wars franchise and fanbase. Note: SAG-AFTRA strike doesn't affect documentary podcasts.

"I was an enormous Star Wars fan as a kid," Best told The Guardian. "I loved it so much that my mom went to the fabric store and made Star Wars pillowcases for us, Star Wars sheets, Star Wars clothes." While performing as part of the musical group from Stomp, the actor was approached about a role in the George Lucas franchise. "I didn't know what was happening," he said. "I thought it was a prank."

Best's performance in the prequel trilogy pioneered CG technology. "Even the software was written on my body," he said. "There's still that legacy code in CGI packages today. My physical DNA is in every single CGI character since." As the target of fan vitriol and accusations his character is racist following the release of 1999's The Phantom Menace, the actor's contact info was leaked, and he was bombarded with death threats, finding himself returning to Stomp, but became reluctant to leave his New York apartment. "It was terrible," Best said. "It was the lowest I've been in my life." It got so bad he drove to the Brooklyn Bridge, contemplating suicide before a gust of wind helped drive his fateful decision to give life another chance.

Best moved to LA and completed 2002's Attack of the Clones and the aforementioned ROTS. He also reinvested in his life taking martial arts, going to film school, becoming a father, and becoming more active behind the scenes in producing and directing. He revisited the Brooklyn Bridge with his son and shared his story online about how he emerged from the brink of his lowest point and how his son is his "gift for survival." For more, including his comeback to the Star Wars franchise as Beq in the Jedi Temple Challenge and The Mandalorian on Disney+ as well as his willingness to return to Jar Jar in a future project, you can check the rest of the interview here.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, please do not hesitate to call the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255, visit the main website, or text "988" for the crisis text line. If someone you know is struggling, do your best to reach out to them because they might not have the strength to ask for help.

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