Jar Jar Binks actor says he's 'done my damage,' won't return to 'Star Wars'

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The actor behind one of the most criticized characters in the Star Wars universe, Jar Jar Binks, said he has no intention of returning to the franchise because he's "done my damage."

Binks, infamous for his childish antics, obnoxious dialogue, and jarring, a faux-Jamaican accent, has been slammed by Star Wars faithful since the release of Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace as he came to represent the worst parts of the prequel trilogy.

Ahmed Best, the man behind the clumsy Gungan has mostly kept a low profile through the years since the character's debut in 1999, but was recently discovered by Jamie Stangroom, a YouTuber on a quest to find and interview the "forgotten heroes" of the Star Wars franchise.

His series, These Are The Actors You're Looking For, has featured actors from the series who spoke highly of their experience working on the films. For Best however, the negativity surrounding his role has left the former stage actor to describe his time with Star Wars as "painful."

"Star Wars was my first 'most hated' title in anything really," Best said in the interview posted Tuesday. "It was painful. One of the biggest reasons I took it was because of the challenge of it -- there was no Andy Serkis and Gollum, Navi from Avatar, Martians from John Carter."

"I was to be the template for this, so I was kinda working with George [Lucas] to pioneer this new character form of acting and storytelling," he continued. "On set we were all just so focused on the challenge of it and having so much fun that the post-Star Wars stuff was a surprise."

Best admitted that he did take the fan hatred personally, but that also he understands where that feeling comes from.

"Even though you play characters, you put a lot of your own personality into it, you get emotionally and personally invested in the work that you do, it's your work and you take pride in it. So when your work is criticized negatively, you feel a hit," he said before adding, "I can understand why, because when they see a character that's purely comical, and purely for the children, they felt probably a bit condescended to," he tells Stangroom. "And I can understand how they wanted a more serious story."

When Stangroom asked if he would ever return to a galaxy far far away, Best responded, "No, I think I've done my damage. Yeah. I'm good with where I stand in the Star Wars universe. I don't need to do that."