Jar Jar Binks Actor Contemplated Suicide After Star Wars Backlash

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Star Wars: Jar Jar Binks Actor Almost Ended His Life After Backlash

By Taylor Williams

Published Jul 3, 2018

Ahmed Best, who played Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace, revealed that the backlash he received for the role nearly led him to commit suicide.

As the 20th anniversary of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace's release approaches, Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best has revealed that the backlash he received for the role nearly led him to commit suicide.Ahmed Best posted a picture to his Twitter account today, in which he and his son stand at the place where he nearly took his life years ago. "20 years next year I faced a media backlash that still affects my career today," Best wrote. "This was the place I almost ended my life. Itâ€™s still hard to talk about. I survived and now this little guy is my gift for survival. Would this be a good story for my solo show? Lemme know."RELATED:Â Toxic Fandom â€˜Curedâ€™ Christopher McQuarrieâ€™s Desire to Make a Star Wars Film

Best has received an outpouring of support on the post, including fromÂ Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson, who's been subject to his own backlash from angryÂ Star Wars fans. "Lots of love to you Ahmed," Johnson wrote. "I think there are many of us whoâ€™d get quite a lot from hearing your story."

Ahmed Best is not the only actor from the prequel trilogy to have his career affected by backlash from the films, as Anakin Skywalker actors Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen were also subject to massive career setbacks, with the former ending his career before it ever really started due to the amount of bullying he received.

Backlash from vindictiveÂ Star Wars fans has also led to the departure of Kelly Marie Tran from Instagram following months of harassment over her role as Rose Tico inÂ The Last Jedi. Director Chris McQuarrie said he was "cured" of the desire to make aÂ Star Wars film after spending five minutes in Rian Johnson's shoes on Twitter.