Jar Jar Binks Actor Says It's 'Impossible' to Please All 'Star Wars' Fans Ahead of 'The Rise of Skywalker'

If anyone can speak to the wrath of the Star Wars fandom, it is Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best. Though it has been 20 years since his character debuted in The Phantom Menace, Jar Jar is still one of the most ridiculed characters in the universe, so much so in fact, that Best admitted to having suicidal thoughts due to the amount of criticism.

But despite his checkered relationship with Star Wars fans, Best attended the premiere of The Rise of Skywalker this week, and opened up to Entertainment Weekly about his journey. He explained:

“For lot of years Star Wars lost a bit of that child-like joy for me. Going through what I went through as Jar Jar was difficult because while you’re in it and while you’re shooting, it’s such a wonderful bubble. And you’re doing so much creating and collaborating with brilliant minds… We’re all coming together and making this thing, and then we put it out there and you have no control of what it’s going to be when it goes out there, and everybody’s gaze is going to be different.”

Best continued about why he thinks fans can be so critical, adding:

“The one thing about the Star Wars universe that no other universe has is, everyone takes it personally. Every individual who is a Star Wars fan, it’s their Star Wars. So it’s virtually impossible to make everybody happy. So you have to put in that energy, that love, that hope, that faith and reasons why you do this thing… You have to imbue that into every story you tell.”

With The Rise of Skywalker coming out tomorrow night, ending the 42-year long saga fans of all ages adore, Best’s message couldn’t come at a more crucial time.