How A Kitchen Sink Landed Star Wars' Ahmed Best The Role Of Jar Jar Binks
It may be difficult for anyone under 30 to imagine, but humanity once went 16 years without a new "Star Wars" movie. Yes, there were books and comic books and video games, but the series' official canon basically ended in 1983 with "Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi." Why the long gap? The franchise's creator, George Lucas, was determined to wait until CGI advanced to a level where he could seamlessly blend visual effects with practical sets and locations. Once that time arrived, he began pre-production on "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace." And it wasn't long before word got out that he was creating a 100 percent CG character that would interact with the film's flesh-and-blood actors.
That character was, of course, Jar Jar Binks, who would go on to become the lightning rod for everything "Star Wars" fans found lacking in the 1999 blockbuster. Some folks hated the character so much, they begged Lucas to kill him off in what would become "Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones." What they didn't take into consideration (or simply didn't care about) while hurling this invective was that Jar Jar was performed on set by a very real, extremely talented human being who was immensely proud of his work. His name is Ahmed Best, and he deserved better.
How Ahmed Best Stomp-ed a path to that galaxy far, far away
According to Laurent Bouzereau and Jody Duncan's "Star Wars: The Making of Episode I – The Phantom Menace," Lucas only had a vague idea of what he wanted Jar Jar to be. Per casting director Robin Gurland, "George knew he wanted a bumbling type, but there wasn't any definitive description of Jar Jar, other than he was high energy, comedic, and somewhat improvisational." These qualities were on her mind when she attended a performance of "Stomp," a show in which highly skilled percussionists use their bodies and everyday objects to beat out propulsive rhythms. When she saw Ahmed Best performing with a kitchen sink hung around his neck, she knew she'd found her Gungan clown.
Gurland quickly arranged an audition, and Best did not disappoint. "I asked him to do a bit of improv for me," she said. "I told him to imagine himself as a very gangly being who is eating a clam and I saw Jar Jar come to life."
Lucas was also knocked out by his skills and soon realized Best's performance wasn't going to end as an on-set visual reference. As he told Bouzereau and Duncan:
"Originally, we wanted Ahmed because he was so good at using his body, and we were looking for someone who could perform unique body movements. But then I had him do the dialogue, and I liked what he did there, as well. As soon as we started shooting, it became obvious that he believed in his lines and in his character. He found the meaning behind the character."
Justice for Jar Jar (and, most importantly, Best)
Best was overjoyed to land the role. "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope" was the first film he'd seen in the theaters, so to be a pivotal part of the series' resumption was an honor. "George told me that we were really going out on a limb. [C-3PO] was funny but in a very formal, dry way. And Chewbacca got some laughs, but he was basically just a big bouncer for the Millennium Falcon. Jar Jar was the first outright comic character."
Critics were mixed on "The Phantom Menace," but most cited Best's Jar Jar as the weakest, most distracting element of the film. "Jar Jar and his fellow Gungans suck the oxygen out of every scene," wrote Slate's David Edelstein. "Their human costars seem understandably asphyxiated." Meanwhile, after the first public screenings, fans flooded internet message boards with opprobrium for not just the character, but Best himself. Some even tracked down the actor's phone number and left death threats on his answering machine. Best subsequently fell into a deep depression and contemplated suicide.
Lucasfilm eventually did right by Best, hiring him to host a "Star Wars" game show for kids as a Jedi character named Kelleran Beq. Jon Favreau proved to be an even bigger mensch by casting Best to play Beq in an episode of "The Mandalorian," where the character rescues Grogu aka Baby Yoda. For any non-unhinged "Star Wars" fan, Best is now a beloved member of the "Star Wars" universe. But while this has been a heartening turnaround, it shouldn't have taken anywhere near this long to bring Best back into the fold. Whatever fans didn't like about Jar Jar (I never had an issue with him or the Gungans) began and ended with George Lucas — and, sadly, I can guess why most of these malcontents targeted Best instead of him.