The Mandalorian, season 3: the interpreter of Jar Jar Binks did not really want to come back
Actor Ahmed Best admits that he took the time to reflect before accepting.
It has long been the symbol of the bad cinematographic idea. In 1999, George Lucas introduced in The Phantom Menace a certain Jar Jar Binks, a funny creature a little crazy, who became in spite of himself the incarnation of the failures of this Episode I from Star Wars. Beneath the Gungan's droopy ears was an actor, Ahmed Best, who had to endure teasing and taunting over the years.
So when Lucasfilm called him back to ask him to come and jump into The Mandalorian, Best was seriously hesitant, as he admits today at Star Wars.com:
“I've been in the Star Wars world for so long and my history with this franchise has been emotionally full of ups and downs. So coming back to Star Wars was not an easy decision for me. It wasn't a proposition I could have said yes to immediately. I had to let it all marinate and give it some serious thought…”
The interpreter of Jar Jar Binks was certainly afraid of rekindling past resentments, and confides that he also wanted to protect The Mandalorian from his aura of persona non grata in Star Wars:
“I really want Star Wars to be a hit. And if I become an obstacle to that, then I shouldn't be. I didn't want my presence to spoil the story. I want to contribute, I want to add something. So it took me a while to accept. But executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni managed to make me want to come back.”
< strong>Ahmed Best therefore reappeared in the saga, in season 3 of The Mandalorian, in the form of a Jedi, Kelleran Beq. A character he had previously held in the game Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. A role in the form of redemption, since the producers made him the savior of Baby Yoda, the fan favorite character, exfiltrated from Coruscant and survivor of Order 66, thanks to the courage of Kelleran Beq. It won't erase Jar Jar, but it will at least allow Ahmed Best to rehabilitate his history with Star Wars.
