Star Wars Prequel Actor Discusses the Legacy of Jar-Jar Binks

He may have been a pioneering figure in the world of motion-captured CGI, but the legacy that actor Ahmed Best has been left with has not been a good one. The man who played Jar-Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels has now spoken about his experience of helping create one of the most hated figures in film history.

In a new interview with Star Wars fan Jamie Stangroom, Best explains the reasons for taking on the role of the floppy-eared Gungan in 1999's The Phantom Menace. "One of the biggest reasons I took it was because of the challenge of it," he said. "There was no Andy Serkis and Gollum, Navi from Avatar, Martians, John Carter.

"Star Wars was my first 'most hated' title in anything. It was painful. Even though you play characters, you put a lot of your own personality into it, you get emotionally and personally invested in the work that you do, it's your work and you take pride in it. So when your work is criticized negatively, you feel a hit."

Despite the criticism, Best did appreciate why so many fans didn't exactly take to Jar-Jar. "When [fans] see a character that's purely comical, and purely for the children, they felt probably a bit condescended to," he said. "And I can understand how they wanted more a more serious story. But on the same token, the children really liked it."

Best concludes the interview by assuring fans that he had no plans to return to the role. "No, I think I've done my damage," he said. "I'm good with where I stand in the Star Wars universe. I don't need to do that. I'm not really interested in coming back. I did what I did, I thought it was great, I thought it was fun, and now it's time to move on."

Watch the full interview below: