You might not know who Ahmed Best is, but you almost certainly have seen his most famous performance.
Best was the actor whose movements and voice brought the goofy alien Jar-Jar Binks to life in the "Star Wars" prequels.
Of course, this is probably a good thing for Best — Jar-Jar Binks is a character so universally hated that a video of someone dressing up as him getting beat up could conceivably be played for laughs. However, Best doesn't regret his time spent in one of the most beloved universes in all of pop culture, and it even sounds like playing Binks was a huge win for him, considering he may have beat Michael Jackson for the role.
In a long interview with Vice, Best elaborates on that surprising tidbit — one he first mentioned a year ago in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything".
"That's what George told me," Best told Vice, before mentioning an occasion where George Lucas introduced him to the pop star as "Jar-Jar". "I'm having a drink with George and I said, 'Why did you introduce me as Jar Jar?' He said, 'Well, Michael wanted to do the part but he wanted to do it in prosthetics and makeup like 'Thriller.'' George wanted to do it in CGI. My guess is ultimately Michael Jackson would have been bigger than the movie, and I don't think he wanted that."
The whole interview is worth a read — Best has certainly kept busy the past few years, writing, directing, and acting in several smaller projects. Read it here.
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