He may be one of – if not the – most reviled characters in the entire Star Wars saga, but there’s no disputing that Jar Jar Binks marked a huge leap forward in terms of visual effects and CGI characters.
However, it seems that for the folks at Wired, the history of performance capture technology begins with Andy Serkis and his role as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings – something Jar Jar performer Ahmed Best has taken exception to on social media.
“I don’t know how to retweet this and not sound bitter, but I feel I have been forgotten,” said Best on Twitter as he shared the article in question. “No disrespect to the great Andy Serkis.”
SEE ALSO: Star Wars fan art depicts Jar Jar Binks as The Last Jedi
Best then went on to post a lengthier response, explaining why he feels snubbed:
“Thanks for the love today especially the Star Wars fans. Jar Jar is bigger than just me or my performance. As much as we actors are on the front line when it comes to the success or the failure of characters we play, what’s more important is the accomplishment of bringing the work to the screen.
Jar Jar helped create the workflow, iteration process and litmus test for all CGI characters to this day on some days the code was being written in real time as I was moving. To deny Jar Jar’s place in film history is to deny the hundreds of VFX technicians, animators, code writers and producers their respect.
People like John Knoll, Rob Coleman and scores of others who I worked with for two years after principal photography was ended to bring these movies to you. There’s a joke I like to use when talking about this stuff, Jar Jar walked so Gollum could run. Gollum ran so the Na’vi could fly. Thanks for lifting me up today.”
In fairness to Wired, the article itself was more about Serkis’ work with performance capture than a full history of the technology, even if it had been titled as such.
SEE ALSO: The fate of Jar Jar Binks revealed in Star Wars: Aftermath – Empire’s End
Originally published October 30, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
