Very affected by the criticism of his character in the prelogy “Star Wars”, Ahmed Best plays this time a Jedi knight for the Disney + series.
The fourth chapter of season 3 of The Mandalorian is an opportunity for an unexpected return to the Star Wars universe. In this episode broadcast this Wednesday on Disney+, a certain Kelleran Beq protects Grogu (or Baby Yoda) from Emperor Palpatine’s troops who have come to exterminate all the Jedi Knights on the planet Coruscant.
The face of the actor playing Kelleran Beq may be unknown to fans of Star Wars, but Ahmed Best, 49, is no newcomer to this galaxy far, far away. In the three parts of the prelogy, Best embodied one of the most maligned characters of the entire saga: Jar Jar Binks.
A character accused of racism
Hailed by fans, even going so far as to be accused of being a racist caricature because of his accent, Jar Jar Binks, created in computer graphics, saw his importance diminish over the three films directed by George Lucas between 1999 and 2005. However, he left an indelible mark on the career and life of Ahmed Best.
“I was called every racial stereotype you can imagine. I was accused of having this Jamaican accent, which was insulting because I’m from Caribbean background, but I’m not Jamaican,” Ahmed said. Best in 2019 in an interview with Participant.
“I didn’t know how to react. Depression hit me, hard. I was just broken.”
Ahmed Best had already reconnected with Star Wars in 2020, since he played Kelleran Beq in an online game for children, Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge. And without revealing more about the last episode of The Mandalorianit’s not impossible that fans will end up getting even more familiar with the face of the character and the actor.
