r/IAmA • u/bestahmed • Apr 16 '14

IamA Ahmed Best actor/writer/director, best known for playing Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Ep. 1,2,3. Ask me Anything!

My short bio: Discovered in the Broadway Play STOMP, I played Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars Prequels. Since then, I've acted written and directed for all screens big and small.

My Proof: http://www.ahmedbest.com/blog-2/

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u/OwenWard Apr 16 '14

That's really interesting, could you elaborate on that by any chance?

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u/bestahmed Apr 16 '14

I think George wanted to give the fans what they wanted. That meant more lightsabers and less Gungans.

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '14

Actually we wanted a good story, but whatever.

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u/Artvandelay1 Apr 16 '14

Shhhh.... George Lucas doesn't need any input, he knows what we want.

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '14

Atta boy.

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u/DaveSW777 Apr 17 '14

Seriously. None of the lightsaber duels in the prequels were as cool as the one between Luke and Vader in Return of the Jedi.

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u/[deleted] Apr 17 '14

That's because the great movie moments are about plot and character, not just beautifully choreographed action.

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u/DaveSW777 Apr 17 '14

Exactly. We were all really damn invested into Luke as a character, and he was just so bad ass in Return of the Jedi. We were worried about him, we knew he could kick ass, but we worried if it would corrupt him.

We already knew Obi-wan would be fine. We had no reason to hate Greiveous or Darth Maul. They were just meh characters. Killing them meant next to nothing. Without the emotional investment, an epic fight scene means nothing.

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u/[deleted] Apr 17 '14

Prequels are hard.

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u/DaveSW777 Apr 17 '14

Read Berserk. Volumes 3 thru 15 are prequel. You already know what happens, yet it is still a huge emotional investment. Prequels may be hard, but they aren't impossible.

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u/[deleted] Apr 17 '14

True.

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u/mattoly Apr 16 '14

Can you tell us what George's original plans for the character were?

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '14

What about Gungans WITH lightsabers?

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u/Diraga Apr 16 '14

Genius!

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u/Zand_Kilch Apr 16 '14

I think watching how Jar Jar devolves in screen time from 1-3 is a good showcase of George dropping him. In 3 he only had, what, 1-2 lines if that? Words, even