Back in 1999, the highly-anticipated Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace hit cinemas. But ever since its release, the prequel has been derided by some fans and critics for being a bad movie. Nevertheless, the film has its supporters including Qui-Gon Jinn star Liam Neeson who recently praised the Star Wars movie and its Jar Jar Binks actor Ahmed Best.

The 68-year-old actor said: `Look, I'm very proud of the film. I got to be a Jedi. `I got to play with those wonderful lightsabers and stuff. It was terrific.`

Neeson, who wasn't unaware of The Phantom Menace's criticisms, went on to say how talented he thought Best was. The Jedi actor said of his Jar Jar Binks co-star: `He came into a lot of criticism, I mean to the point where it really hurt his career.`

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#LiamNeeson says he is proud of 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' despite the backlash and criticism the film received when it was released. The actor defends the movie, at the link in bio.

A post shared by Hollywood Reporter (@hollywoodreporter) on Sep 19, 2020 at 4:35pm PDT

Back in 2018, Best had bravely opened up on how he contemplated suicide after a media backlash to his Jar Jar Binks performance. But following huge support on social media from friends and fans, the actor gave great thanks in return.

With Disney exploring different aspects of the Star Wars universe, hopefully Best will be able to reprise his character, who despite the critics does have a lot of fans, in a future movie or TV show.