Ahmed Best, the actor who portrayed Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels, has revealed that he became suicidal after backlash towards his character.
News regarding fan and media backlash pertaining to Star Wars has been quite prevalent of late and its certainly creating a discussion about when criticism goes too far.
One actor that certainly felt the brunt of such antipathy was Ahmed Best, who portrayed Jar Jar Binks starting in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The character was widely disliked by the fans and apparently the vitriol Banks received pushed him to some very dark places.
Posting to Twitter ahead of Episode I’s 20th anniversary next year, Best spoke about his experience: “20 years next year I faced a media backlash that still affects my career today. This was the place I almost ended my life. It’s still hard to talk about. I survived and now this little guy is my gift for survival. Would this be a good story for my solo show? Lemme know.”
https://twitter.com/ahmedbest/status/1014222723764162561
It’s awful to hear that the actor was contemplating such action and while criticism is needed and shouldn’t go away, it’s clear that there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed when it comes to fictional entertainment.
SEE ALSO: Can We Stop Saying The Last Jedi is ‘too different’ from Star Wars canon?
