Jar Jar Binks and Jedi Master Kelleran Beq actor Ahmed Best paid tribute to Star Wars stars Mark Hamill and Frank Oz in a beautiful post addressing Best’s experience with backlash in the franchise. Although the prequels have become beloved among Star Wars movies and TV shows, when they were released, they were met with extreme backlash. In fact, not only were the prequels considered some of Star Wars’ worst movies for quite some time, but also, the actors from the prequels, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in particular, were met with harsh criticism and bullying.
Now, Ahmed Best, who played both Jar Jar Binks in the prequel trilogy and returned to Star Wars in The Mandalorian as Jedi Master Kelleran Beq, has taken to Instagram to reveal that a few Star Wars legends had his back from the very beginning. Specifically, in a post on his Instagram account, bestahmed, Best named Mark Hamill and Frank Oz as two incredibly supportive Star Wars actors.
In addition to directly calling out the vitriol he and other prequel trilogy actors faced, Best revealed that Hamill supported him both privately and publicly and was even the first to tell Best that he was part of the Star Wars family.
It’s Wonderful To See How Welcome & Supportive Star Wars Actors Are
The kind of support and positivity seen in Ahmed Best’s Instagram post is exactly what Star Wars needs right now. In fact, this message is no doubt tied to the current context in the franchise. Following The Acolyte’s cancelation, hateful rhetoric has intensified, targeting the show’s actors. Amandla Stenberg, who played Osha and Mae in The Acolyte, has specifically been harassed online and has shared their own Instagram messages regarding that experience.
Best had already shared a post of support regarding Stenberg’s recent experience in the franchise, and this was a wonderful way for him to follow up on that initial message. With so much negativity in the franchise, it’s truly a relief to hear about experiences such as this one. It is even more meaningful given Best’s experience. Best’s return to The Mandalorian was perfectly triumphant, but the way he was treated during the prequel trilogy era remains a massive stain on Star Wars’ history. Best was subjected to the worst of what this fandom can look like.
Nevertheless, it really is wonderful to know that the hate, vitriol, and negativity that permeates discourse around Star Wars movies and shows does not extend to the actors themselves. Clearly, Best felt truly welcomed by actors like Hamill and Oz, and he is doing a beautiful job passing that support on to a new generation of Star Wars actors. In the midst of continued disheartening behavior in the Star Wars fandom, Ahmed Best’s post is the message everyone needs to see right now.
Source: bestahmed
