A quarter of a century after the release of “the ghost threat”, Ahmed Best, who embodied Jar Jar Binks, returned with emotion to his experience in the Star Wars universe, marked as much by innovation as by a brutal rejection from the public.
In 1999, George Lucas revived the Star Wars machine with a new trilogy telling the beginnings of cult characters in the saga. If these episodes have since been re -evaluated positively by a large part of the fans, their initial exit had been received with great skepticism. And a target, in particular, had obsessed criticism: Jar Jar Binks, an awkward creature supposed to bring humor to history.
Lucasfilm Ltd.
It was Ahmed Best who lent his voice, his gestures and his complete performance to this character, becoming at the same time (for the first time in the history of cinema) the first actor to be filmed in motion capture for a consumer film. A technological feat, but also a heavy burden, as he recently confided in an interview with People magazine.
“” “We were in our bubble by turning the film“He remembered.”So when I got out of this bubble, I told myself that everyone was going to appreciate what we had done, because if people felt the same thing as what we felt when creating [le film]it was going to be incredible. But there were already species of preconceived ideas, and this online hatred, which was already starting to bubble. People were already talking about it before the film was not released.»
A deep injury
The shock was tough for the young actor, then 26 years old. In the midst of ascent, he found himself isolated, caught in the turmoil of a massive and often violent rejection, without real support. No one before him had crossed such a situation, because the technology he embodied – the motion captures – was still unprecedented in the industry.
“” “It was really not easy. I was very young. I was 26 years old. (…) All these years, we think that we arrived at the top, that we reached the highest level, and then, suddenly, people pull the carpet below you. I was wondering what was going to happen to me afterwards. My career had ended where she had started. I did not know what to do, and unfortunately, there was really no one able to help me, because my position was unique. It had never happened before in history.»
Legend : “” “The day he passed the tests for Jar Jar Binks, Ahmed Best S'did not wait to meet George Lucas. Twenty-five years later, Best returns to the ghost threat and his work with Industrial Light & Magic.»
Submerged by criticism and brutality of reactions, Ahmed Best has gone through a very dark period. He even admitted to having had extreme thoughts.
“” “I didn't want to hurt my family by doing this, so it's something bigger than me that made me go back. I was always lost. I still couldn't find my balance, and I always felt all this injustice.»
Over time, he has found a new meaning in his life, far from the film sets. He left the acting profession and converted into teaching, today sharing his experiences and reflections as a speaker at the University of South California (USC).
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