Ahmed Best Reddit AMA (and a small, but slightly different Jar Jar rant)

Before I even start this post, I wanted to say this… Love him or hate him, there is no denying that the character of Jar Jar Binks was revolutionary. The first ever completely CGI rendered character in a live action film, Ahmed Best paved the way for actors like Andy Serkis to play Gollum in ”The Lord of the Rings” movies and Caesar in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”.  Jar Jar Binks ushered in a new generation of Star Wars fans as what many called the “Chewbacca of the prequels.”

My daughter was eight years old when she came with me to what was her first midnight show, “The Clone Wars” movie.  To my delight, she was hooked, (line and sinker too)  Being able to share your fandom with someone makes what you have passion for more enjoyable, being able to share it with your child is absolutely amazing. As we watched the seasons of “The Clone Wars”, Jar Jar was one of her favorites. I will admit I was somewhat indifferent to the character in the beginning. I in no way thought he “ruined” the prequel trilogy, but I could see some of the points people were making. The more we watched though, and I watched her watching, he really grew on me. And anyone who thinks it makes no difference who played Jar Jar… go back and watch the episodes where he was not voiced by Ahmed Best. Now that was terrible.

All of this is a really long intro to a blog post about Ahmed Best’s Reddit AMA he did the other day. I just wanted people to understand the dedication and talent it took to breathe life into this character. Even though he gets ask what I’m sure are the same questions over and over again, his pride for what he has done and the character he brought life to shows through in this AMA.

Here are some of the questions and answers from the AMA. Enjoy.

*Sigh* guess I'll be that guy....

How does it feel to have played one of the most unintentionally hated characters in movie history?

bestahmed

I like the fact that you said unintentional. I feels great to be a part of movie history regardless of how anyone feels about him.

Did George Lucas ever say anything to you about Jar-Jar in light of the near-universal negative reaction towards him after The Phantom Menace? Obviously he intended for him to be likable and you were doing the best with the role you were given but I wonder if he felt the need to defend his character or explain himself to you during the production of the subsequent films.

bestahmed

He did. He let me know that this was nothing new. There was the same reaction to Chewbacca and the ewoks. HE sent me a stack of press from the original movies for proof. He never needed to defend his character. We new what the intention was.

Knowing what you know now about how your character in Star Wars would be received, by fans, critics, and the general public, would you still have said yes to taking on the role of Jar Jar Binks, and why?

bestahmed

YUP! I'm a skinny kid from the Bronx. I'm not supposed to be alive let alone a pro artist. Opportunities like SW come once in a lifetime. Those are the ones you say yes to.

In the special features on the Episode I DVD, you seem to be full of enthusiasm and always in good spirits. What are some of your favourite fun moments you had making the movie?

bestahmed

The submarine scene with me Liam and Ewan. We laughed through most of that. We were all very close, but Liam and I had a special thing when we were on screen together. I always thought we should do a buddy cop flick

After filming Episode 1 and before it was released, how did you expect Jar Jar to be received? Did you manage to not take the hatred personally?

bestahmed

No, it hurt a lot. You put your heart and soul in to something groundbreaking for two years and it gets slammed, that hurts. But It made me stronger. Cheesy answer, but it's true.

How do you feel about all the people that found Jar Jar to be annoying?

bestahmed

they all have a right to their opinions. Star Wars belongs to the fans as much as it does all of us who were in the movies.

You can check out the entire RedditAMA here