Ahmed Best played Jar Jar Binks in 1999's The Phantom Menace, the first mainline Star Wars movie since 1983's Return of the Jedi. Immediately, the character was decried as awful, stupid, and one of the worst things to ever happen to the franchise. Best wasn't spared that blowback. In a podcast called The Redemption of Jar Jar Binks, he tells his story.

Best describes how he was approached by a casting director after a performance with his percussive dance group and invited to an audition at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch the following day. Best was over the moon. As a lifelong Star Wars fan and aspiring actor, it was the break of his dreams.

After the audition, he was selected to play Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace, which detail what happened before the original trilogy. Best was thrilled. He was even able to expand his role into a...