Despite everything the Star Wars fandom has done to him, Ahmed Best keeps coming back.
The dedicated actor that brought Jar Jar Binks to life did his absolute best to capture that weird, bumbling Gungan, and he wholeheartedly succeeded. The fact that adult fans didn’t like Jar Jar — a character clearly aimed at youthful Star Wars fans — was never Best’s fault, but the actor was certainly blamed for his character’s broad unpopularity.
We’re not necessarily Binks apologists, but we’re also horrified at the treatment Best received in the wake of his performance. The actor, who was likely thrilled to join the Star Wars universe initially, was lambasted for playing his goofy, absurd character to a T, and received non-stop hate between the release of The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith. The backlash was so brutal, in fact, that Best even considered ending his life, something he’s been open about in recent years. Thankfully, the 49-year-old actor somehow shouldered the massive amount of fan hate he received, and stuck with his acting career.
And, in spite of everything, Best was still willing to return to the broad Star Wars galaxy for a fresh role in The Mandalorian. He recently re-appeared as Jedi Knight Kelleran Beq, who swooped in to aid Grogu and save him from the heinous Order 66 issued by Sheev Palpatine. His well-deserved redemption in the eyes of Star Wars fans is urging viewers to look back on Best’s career in film, television, and even video games, where he has lended his broad character talent to a range of roles.
Ahmed Best’s career in television and film
All the hate Best received in the years following his Star Wars debut wasn’t enough to sour the actor to the franchise. Or even the character. Past constant complaints and fan harassment, Best returned to play Jar Jar not only in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith but in a range of additional Star Wars projects. He brought Jar Jar back for numerous television and video game releases, appearing as the character in several Clone Wars episodes, as well as an episode of The Colbert Report, TV short Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out, and each of Robot Chicken’s Star Wars lampooning episodes, one of which won him an Annie Award.
Departing from the character of Jar Jar, who Best has remained loyal to despite toxic fans, Best has lent his skill as a character actor to a range of roles. His career largely took off thanks to Star Wars, but he did appear as an extra in Lean on Me, a full decade before he made his debut as Jar Jar. In the years that followed, he largely lent his voice to projects, appearing in Armitage: Dual Matrix and Kangaroo Jack: G’Day U.S.A.! before providing physical talent, as well as vocal skill, for largely comedic films like 2010’s 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams, 2011’s Some Guy Who Kills People, and 2012’s FDR: American Badass!.
He’s made even more frequent appearances on television, even when his performances as Jar Jar are occluded. He followed Attack of the Clones with a stint on Alias, but largely dedicated himself to various Jar Jar cameos until 2009, when he started to branch out. Furthermore, he appeared in episodes of Cougar Town, Big Time Rush, Law & Order: LA, and Zeke and Luther, and even sought out voice work in video games. You might recognize his voice from any number of Star Wars games, including Battlegrounds and several Lego Star Wars releases. Far from those instantly recognizable Gungan tones, he also contributed voices to Fallout 76 and The Last of Us Part II.
Best’s career certainly hasn’t been easy, but he’s traversed toxicity, harassment, and hate with singular poise. He’s continued to pump out great content, and he never gave up on the character of Jar Jar. Perhaps that’s because, unlike so very many Star Wars fans, Best understands the true purpose of the character: to make kids laugh. Whether adult fans like him or not, Best’s Jar Jar accomplished this well and will continue to do so for generations, as fresh audiences get the chance to enjoy Best’s work without the veil of backlash coloring their perspectives.