STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE Actor Ahmed Best Defends His Place In Motion Capture History

We all know how fans responded to Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. While the cringeworthy comic relief character has become a bit of a scapegoat for the Star Wars prequels in general, the  performance capture used to create Jar Jar should be acknowledged as groundbreaking.

However, some fans don't think the actor who brought the character to life, Ahmed Best, is getting the credit he deserves. After a video of Andy Serkis talking about the development of performance capture was shared with Best on Twitter yesterday, the actor went on to explain how the crew who did the code and animation for Jar Jar deserve lots of credit as well.

1) thread: Thanks for the love today especially the Star Wars fans. Jar Jar is bigger than just me or my performance. As much as we actors

— Ahmed BEst (@ahmedbest) October 28, 2017

2) are on the front line when it comes to the success or the failure of characters we play, what's more important is the accomplishment of

— Ahmed BEst (@ahmedbest) October 28, 2017

3) bringing the work to the screen. Jar Jar helped create The workflow, iteration process and litmus test for all CGI characters to this day

— Ahmed BEst (@ahmedbest) October 28, 2017

4) on some days the code was being written in real time as I was moving. To deny Jar Jar's place in film history is to deny the hundreds of

— Ahmed BEst (@ahmedbest) October 28, 2017

5) VFX technicians, animators, code writers and producers their respect. People like John Knoll, Rob Coleman @arfkeldo and scores of others

— Ahmed BEst (@ahmedbest) October 28, 2017

6) who I worked with for two years after principal photography was ended to bring these movies to you. There's a joke I like to use when

— Ahmed BEst (@ahmedbest) October 28, 2017

7) talking about this stuff, Jar Jar walked so Gollum could run. Gollum ran so the Na'vi could fly. Thanks for lifting me up today.

— Ahmed BEst (@ahmedbest) October 28, 2017

What do you think about Best's comments? Share your thoughts in the comments below.