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As far as movie franchises go, there are few quite as beloved as Star Wars. George Lucas' colorful galaxy has entertained moviegoers for decades, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Plenty of new content has arrived since Disney acquired Lucasfilm, to varying levels of success. Moviegoers are brought up on Star Wars, and therefore generations of fans have a personal connection to the property. And that's apparently a reason why its impossible to make all the fans happy. At least, according to the actor who played Jar Jar Binks.
Actor Ahmed Best provided the motion capture and voice to Jar Jar Binks for The Phantom Menace. The Gungan is a character that will live in infamy, and Best saw what Star Wars backlash looked like back in 1999 when Episode I arrived in theaters. He recently attended the world premiere of The Rise of Skywalker, and explained the difficulty in truly pleasing the rabid fans. As he put it,
For lots 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. 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.
Well, that's certainly a thought-out approach to Star Wars fans. Because despite all the great work done on set, the fandom is quick to judge each new installment in the space opera. And there's now way to please everyone who heads to theaters for Episode IX.
Related: A New Star Wars Show Is Happening At Disney+ With Jar Jar Binks Actor
Ahmed Best's comments to the official Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker premiere live stream help to peel back the curtain into actually creating a movie for the iconic franchise. Because no one working on The Phantom Menace expected the fans to revolt so strongly when it came to the childish aspects of the movie, especially Jar Jar Binks. Instead he did the best work he could, and then watched as moviegoers formed their own opinions. Unfortunately, the backlash around his character took a serious toll on Best's mental health.
Star Wars fans can currently re-watch the Skywalker Saga on Disney+. You can use this link for a free 7-day trial of the streaming service.
The Star Wars fandom has been reacting viscerally to the Star Wars franchise for years, mostly because the movies have such a personal place in the hearts of moviegoers. Most recently, we saw how some fans took umbrage with Rian Johnson's bold narrative choices from The Last Jedi. What's more, Rose Tico actress was forced to leave social media and then begin therapy after backlash regarding her debut appearance in the galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will hit theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next binge watch.
