ven if you managed to miss the Star Wars: Episode I - The
Phantom Menace juggernaut nearly a year ago, chances are
you've heard of Jar Jar Binks. Jar Jar, of course, is
a fully digitized character, created entirely in
the computers at Industrial Light and Magic.
Chances are equally as good that you haven't heard of
Jar Jar's human alter-ego, Ahmed Best, the actor who supplied the voice and
movements of the bumbling, floppy-eared alien.
While Jar Jar represented a groundbreaking digital
triumph (Oscar snub notwithstanding), the character
quickly proved to be controversial as well. Irked by Jar
Jar's ubiquitous presence and pseudo-pidgin English
accent, passionate viewers flocked to join Jar
Jar hate brigades, and critics blasted Lucasfilm for
racism.
Not that Best has let any of that get to him. On deck this
summer to reprise his role as Jar Jar in Episode II, Best
is currently pursuing his music career. Here, he takes
time to set the record straight about Jar Jar.
Did you have any idea what it would involve to play Jar
Jar?
Best: No. This was like the first time in the history of
movies that anyone had ever done something like this, so
no one had any idea--most of all me. It was my first
film, and I had no idea what was going to happen.
How did Industrial Light and Magic duplicate your
motions for Jar Jar?
Best: I wore what was called a motion capture suit, which was
like a tight scuba suit with a whole bunch of light
sensors on it. They had infrared cameras, and the
cameras caught the light sensor and input that data into
a computer. And that data was my movement and how the
light sensors moved and how they captured the data onto
the computer. It was really quite fascinating. I had
never done any of that before either.
Pretty much everything that they wanted, I did in a way.
I probably did more than what they wanted, because there
was a lot of stuff that I did that didn't even show up
[in the film].
Did you have to essentially do twice as much work, since
you were on set as well as recording the motion capture
elements during post-production?
Best: Yeah. I did double everything. I was there on the set,
and then I went to San Francisco and did probably about
a year and a half's worth of more shooting for motion
capture and animation.
Ever get tired of the repetitive grind?
Best: Nah. It's Star Wars. You can't really get tired of it.
What was your favorite part of The Phantom Menace?
Best: I dug all the fighting, like the saber fights. The thing
I liked the most was the way Ray [Park] was moving, and
the way they captured the lightsaber movement and the
dynamics of it. It's really hard for me to look at
myself and say, wow, I really enjoyed what I did at that
part. Most of the stuff I [liked] came from the dialogue
and the interactions with the other characters, rather
than any action.
Were you surprised by the groundswell of anti-Jar Jar
reaction?
Best: The majority of it was distorted. We approached the
character with such innocence, and it's amazing how
[vitriolic the response was]. It pretty much only
happened in America; everywhere else in the world, it
was no big deal. And things like seeing a completely
innocent, docile cartoon character as something to be
hated and despised [point to a bigger] problem within
the American quote-unquote psyche. We're focusing so
much on kill, die, and then we're wondering why people
go crazy, why people shoot people, why people have no
regard for human life, and yet--and still--the things that
are being sensationalized are the things that glorify
killing, shooting, maiming and destruction. Rather than
say "Die, Jar Jar Binks," say, "Well, personally I
didn't like the character, but hey, it was a good job,
at least I believed it" [laughs].
Were you bothered by the negativity?
Best: No, of course not; it doesn't bother me that people are
stupid. I'm not stupid.
Do you ever feel the need to defend Jar Jar?
Best: No. My voice isn't as strong as his. My power isn't as
strong as his. I'm going to move on and do other things.
My life isn't going to be about Jar Jar Binks.
Are you going to be a part of Episode II?
Best: So far it looks like it's going all right. They say I
am, so I can only go by what they say. I hope I am. It
definitely will be a great experience again. It looks
good. That's about as deep as I can go.
What's been the hardest thing about finding film work in
the wake of the Jar Jar experience?
Best: People didn't know there was somebody in the Jar Jar
persona; they just thought it was only the magic of ILM.
So they didn't realize I had a major part in it. And in
the movie world, it's really important for people to see
your face, and obviously they did not do that in Star
Wars, so the work that I did was overshadowed by the
fact that you could not see my face. [Acting] is more
about image, and my image is not really in the public
[mind]--but Jar Jar is.
What did you take away from the experience of doing Episode I?
Best: A lot. There's not one thing; there are so many things.
There was a lot of hard work, and a lot of attention to
detail. If there was one thing that I took away, it was
paying attention to every single solitary detail, no
matter how big or small. Everything you saw up on that
screen was there for a reason. There was nothing
wasted. Not a single color, not a single creature.
Every single creature in that movie had a name, not just
a species name, but a personal name--it was that well
thought out.
What are you working on now?
Best: I'm recording another demo for another batch of record
labels that we'll shop it around to. I've been going out
on auditions, but it's hard if you don't have a certain
image. We like to think of film and music as art, but
actually art is something that is not restricted. And
right now, in order to be lucrative in this business you
have to be conservative; it's hard to be an artist and
be conservative--at least, it is for me, personally.
