Ahmed Best, the man behind Jar Jar Binks in theStar Warsprequels, recently admitted that the severe backlash had him questioning his own life. Since then,Star Warsfans have been sharing their support with Best, and many are apologizing for heaping on the hate. Now,Simon Pegghas come out to say that he’s ashamed of all the Jar Jar Binks bashing that he was a part of throughout the years after not taking the time to realize that there was a human behind the character.
In a new interview, Simon Pegg addressed theStar Warstoxic fandom as well as his own contributions to it over the years, which concern Jar Jar Binks. AfterAhmed Best revealed his struggles with the severe hateof his character, it made Pegg reassess his take on the prequels and the character. In the end, he states that he felt “awful” and “ashamed.” Pegg explains.
“I feel so ashamed of the fact that there was actually a victim, a human victim in that. I think most people were regardingJar Jar Binkslike he was a real creature and wailing on him for being annoying, or whatever, or not liking him. But there was a person behind that. And I read that and just thought, Christ, I’m one of those people. It makes me feel awful.”
Simon Pegg also talked about thecurrent hatred of Star Warsthat seems to have taken over a certain faction of fans who are upset aboutThe Last Jedi. Director Rian Johnson has been getting trashed on social media ever since the movie came out, with a fan petition out currently to remake the entire film. Additionally, some of the more extreme of these “fans” forced Kelly Marie Tran to delete her social media accounts. Pegg says that in the end, it’s just a movie and wishes that everybody would stop being so aggressive. He had this to say.
“There’s no diplomacy in that, there’s no empathy. We’re becoming very, very insular as human beings. We’re becoming very self-driven, selfist, our opinions, our needs, our wants.I feel sorry for Kelly Marie Tranbecause she was just in a film - a f*cking film, that’s all it is. None of it matters, none of it. I think it would be nice if everyone just got on. You know and stopped being so aggressive.”
The Last Jediand then the rapid release ofSolo: A Star Wars Storyhas brought Lucasfilm to foreign territory. The rabid fan base that has been so loyal over the years is starting to turn and gain a lot of attention, thanks to social media. While Simon Pegg apologizes for ripping into Jar Jar Binks for the last several years, there’s not many more passionate fans that will join him. In the end, Pegg is right when he states it’s “just a film… that’s all it is.”
Simon Pegg is currently out doing promotion forMission: Impossible 6, which hits theaters this week. The actor is no stranger when it comes to overly critical fan bases with the Mission: Impossible andStar Trekfranchise’s under his belt. He even has a brief appearance inThe Force Awakensas Unkar Plutt, so he’s even officially a part of theStar Warsfranchise. You can see the rest of what Pegg had to say about Jar Jar Binks and toxicStar Warsfandom below, thanks to theNow This Twitteraccount.
