The Star Wars prequels will probably always remain divisive, but there is a generation of fans who grew up with them that love the trilogy. Ewan McGregor mentioned that during a recent interview, and now his The Phantom Menace co-star Liam Neeson has jumped to the defence of the 1999 release.
"I'm very proud of the film, I got to be a Jedi, got to play with those wonderful lightsabers and stuff, it was terrific," the Qui-Gon Jinn actor says in the video below. "I liked the movie."
Most interesting, however, was what Neeson had to say about Ahmed Best, the actor who played Jar Jar Binks. The hate he received in the years that followed not only damaged his career, but also resulted in him considering suicide; he's turned things around now - fans at 2019's Star Wars Celebration showed him a lot of love - and hosts Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge.
"It really hurt his career," Neeson acknowledged. "And I have to say when I was making that film… he was probably one of the funniest guys and talented guys I had ever worked with. I remember calling my old ex-agent at ICM and said, 'I think I just worked with the new Eddie Murphy.' I still believe that. Truly, he had all of his in stitches — including George Lucas. But I liked the movie."
Neeson has reprised the role of Qui-Gon a few times in animated form over the years, so he clearly loves the character, and it would be great seeing him return for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Check out the interview below: