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JAMES GUNN TEARS INTO HATE AND BILE OF STAR WARS FANS
The filmmaker’s comments come after actor who played Jar Jar Binks recalls suicidal thoughts following extreme backlash from franchise fans
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has blasted the fans of the Star Wars franchise for their abusive behaviour and said that they should “go to therapy”.
The 51-year-old director delivered the stinging critique on Twitter while responding to a report about actor Ahmed Best, who recently opened up about the backlash he received for playing Jar Jar Binks in the epic sci-fi franchise. “People need to chill out,” Gunn wrote while sharing the report about Best.
In subsequent tweets, Gunn said, “People responding to this post saying, ‘Yeah, it wasn’t the actor’s fault! It was the writer’s!’ are missing the point. Critique it. Don’t like it. But spewing hate and bile at individuals just doing their best to tell a story, even if the story sucks, is lame. Don’t watch it!
“Star Wars (or any movie) may be important to you, but it doesn’t belong to you. If your self-esteem depends on how good you think the current Star Wars is, or your childhood is ruined because you don’t like something in a movie, go to therapy.”
Best voiced Jar Jar Binks in George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy — The Phantom Menace; Attack of the Clones; and Revenge of the Sith. However, upon its debut, the character was ridiculed by fans and today it is considered one of the most hated characters in the history of the Star Wars franchise.
In a Twitter post, Best said that he contemplated suicide after he faced extreme resentment 20 years ago. A photo tweeted showed Best with his son near a bridge, and he captioned it: “20 years next year I faced a media backlash that still affects my career today. This was the place I almost ended my life. It’s still hard to talk about.”
Star Wars fans have left other actors traumatised as well. Kelly Marie Tran was subjected to online abuse, and Daisy Ridley was also trolled for her looks.
ACTOR AHMED BEST WROTE ON TWITTER: ‘20 YEARS NEXT YEAR I FACED A MEDIA BACKLASH THAT STILL AFFECTS MY CAREER TODAY. THIS WAS THE PLACE I ALMOST ENDED MY LIFE.’