First thing you would say to Ahmed Best when you see him in public.

You're walking out of a screening of ROTS, and you spot Ahmed Best. What do you say to him?

 

Ahmed,

I am sorry that some Star Wars fans are so rotten to you. I've heard that you've even gotten death threats; that's terrible. I hope you realize that their conduct does not represent that of your average Star Wars fan. I sincerely enjoyed the character that you've played in these films and think that you've gotten a bad rap. May I please have your autograph?




Mace Windy,
too windy for spoilers!

 

Windy's post sums up my thoughts pretty well.

 

I bet he gets alot of hell.

 

go windy!

 

To Ahmed Best: You, sir, are an idiot.

 

Yeah, it really isn't his fault as far as how Jar Jar turned out. You can place that blame on Lucas. While I still hate Jar Jar as a character, I think that Ahmed Best did a pretty good job as far as portraying him.

 

Ahmed did AWSOME considering what he was given.

 

Windy has exactly the right idea.

 

To Ahmed Best: You, sir, are an idiot.

Classic.

 

Also not very nice.

 

Nice schmice.

 

It is partly his fault. It's not just the lines he's given, it's also his body language, which is all Ahmed Best.

 

I'd say:

"Hey, it's that guy from Stomp!"

 

If I just spot him coming out of Burger King after I left the theatre, then nothing. Jar Jar may seem like a braying jackass of a character to many, but does this guy really need to be harassed by a bunch of SW fans for the rest of his life, either to condemn him or express support for him? Let him be at peace when he's out and about...

But if he is actually at the premiere, if anything, I might say hello. I certainly wouldn't start spouting off about my opinions of Jar Jar because, quite frankly, he could not possibly care less what I think...

 

It is partly his fault. It's not just the lines he's given, it's also his body language, which is all Ahmed Best.

Actually it's a lot of George. Watch The Beginning. George tells Ahmed how to walk like Jar Jar and it's pretty much exactly what Ahmed did.

 

"Yousa bombad actor. Yousa to be pew-nished."

 

"Actually it's a lot of George. Watch The Beginning. George tells Ahmed how to walk like Jar Jar and it's pretty much exactly what Ahmed did."

Plus, even if George didn't show Ahmed that walk, he still could have told him that he didn't like it and wasn't going to use it. Ahmed wasn't doing anything that George didn't approve of. As the director, George is ultimately responsible for all of the performances in the film.



Mace Windy,
too windy for spoilers!

 

I agree with Mace Windy's first reply. Some people think that they should harass the actor just because they don't like the character. I liked Jar Jar myself, and Ahmed Best's performance was great. I read an interview with Ahmed Best recently, in which he said, "it doesn't bother me that people are stupid. I'm not stupid," which I think is good.

 

It's not Ahmeds fault that George sometimes gets it wrong, and believe me he did with Jar Jar, despite people claiming Jar Jar was a sucess.

 

As Ahmed Best pointed out in that interview, the anti-Jar Jar stuff was mostly in the U.S.; the rest of the world didn't jump on that bandwagon.

Only in America would people build up that idiotic "Jar Jar is a racist caricature" stuff. Oh, but some people tried to show they were being objective by saying, "I really don't think Lucas MEANT to be racist..." and other patronizing crap.

It's a good thing Best didn't let the stupidity get to him, and I like his attitude toward it: "They're trying to make me out to be the poor, ignorant 'darkie' being misled by the evil white filmmaker. Like I'm not smart enough to know when I'm being condescended to. And they call Lucas racist?"

 

I wouldn't recognise him, and even if I did I wouldn't bother to bother him.

 

I think Ahmed Best looks kind of like Vin Diesel.

Vin Diesel?
[image=http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9906/09/jar.jar/best.jpg]

Ahmed Best?
[image=http://www.banane.be/pics/news/vin-diesel.jpg]

 

There's always a serious difference between the actor and the character he plays, and that rule applies to Ahmed Best as well. Anyone coming at Ahmed Best is an idiot themselves.

So in response to those who would call Ahmed an idiot:

You sir, are an idiot.

If someone came up to me and said, "Yo, I'll pay you several grand to walk around and play a silly character," you best believe I'd be signing up tomorrow. Especially if it's the Star Wars franchise. In the paraphrased words of Sam Jackson, I'd do anything, even play a bit role as a stormtrooper. Just give me a freaking role.

Lucas wasn't being a racist, and Lucas wasn't being a "fool" for the character. People in the US just took the character and the movie's story about him waaaay too seriously.

I don't like Jar Jar Binks, and I really did want the character to "die" in EP1, but I don't let that kill the movie, or the actor, for me.

 

"Ex-squeeze me!"