Well, that was a headline I never thought I would write.
While it does sound like something you would read in a trashy tabloid, this is a story that has come from the mouth of Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. In an interview with Vice, the actor revealed details about some comments he made on a Reddit AMA last year about the King of Pop being in line for the role of the hated Star Wars character.
“That’s what George told me,” the actor said of Michael Jackson’s proposed casting. “Me, Natalie Portman, and George’s kids – we were at Wembley arena at Michael Jackson’s concert. We were taken backstage and we met Michael. There was Michael and Lisa Marie [Presley]. George introduced me as Jar Jar and I was like, ‘That’s kind of weird’. Michael was like, ‘Oh. OK.’ I thought, ‘What is going on?’ After Michael had driven off, we all go back up to a big afterparty. I’m having a drink with George and I said, ‘Why did you introduce me as Jar Jar?’ He said, ‘Well, Michael wanted to do the part but he wanted to do it in prosthetics and makeup like Thriller.’ George wanted to do it in CGI. My guess is ultimately Michael Jackson would have been bigger than the movie, and I don’t think he wanted that.”
Jar Jar Binks is perhaps the most hated character in the Star Wars universe, but that hasn’t bothered Best. “At the end of the day, it is the movie business, and if the character doesn’t work for the people who watch the movie then the character doesn’t work,” he added. “I can’t take that personally.”
Would you have liked to have seen The King of Pop as Jar Jar Binks?
Originally published July 24, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
