In the nearly two decades since the debut of The Phantom Menace, Star Wars fans still reference Jar Jar Binks as one of the most disliked elements of the entire saga. Based on comments made at this weekend’s Fan Expo Canada, the sentiment of the character is even shared amongst cast members, as reported by Space.
Throughout the saga, Anthony Daniels was only heard and never seen, as he wore C-3PO’s suit in every shot. Ahmed Best’s performance as the CGI Jar Jar was another case of being heard and not seen. Daniels pointed out, “Jar Jar was created by George Lucas and he employed an actor, Ahmed Best, who is a terrific actor. Terrific mover. Terrific, inventive brain. Highly intelligent. Did exactly what George asked him to do. George’s son Jett was thrilled by that performance that Ahmed did perfectly, but Jett was 10 years old.”
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He added, “Now, I wasn’t, so for me Jar Jar was a bit like the Ewoks. I’ve grown past that stage. 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds, eight-year-olds adored Jar Jar. It was a very, very good thing to do… so I hugely admire Ahmed Best. He got very bad press for doing it… and Jar Jar was not for me.”
Daniels’ remarks are only the most recent instance of a cast member poking fun at Jar Jar, with Liam Neeson having joked about the character earlier this year at Star Wars Celebration.
In a video to celebrate Star Wars turning 40, Neeson sent a video message in which he joked, “40 years! 40 years of story telling, mixing myth, mythology, legend, technology, and this extraordinary cinematic form. I’ve been very honored to play QGJ in the Phantom Menace.” He added, “I’m actually here on location in the Canadian Mountain; we’re making a movie, a very official movie, about what happened to Jar Jar Binks. Spoiler alert: he did go to the dark said. May the Force be with you!”
Even the people behind the scenes at Lucasfilm have a sense of humor about the character, with the walls of their offices having a life-size recreation of Jar Jar frozen in carbonite.
