'I did advise': Brian Blessed warned George Lucas about Jar Jar Binks when filming Phantom Menace... and insists Alec Guinness did not hate Star Wars

Published: 02:37 GMT, 15 January 2017 | Updated: 08:33 GMT, 15 January 2017

e-mail

View
comments

Boss Nass wasn't too happy when Jar Jar Binks turned up on his doorstep in The Phantom Menace.

And the actor who played him tried to forewarn the director about him too.

Brian Blessed has revealed he told George Lucas about the problems with the gangling Gungan during shooting, but was ignored.

Called it: Brian Blessed has revealed he told George Lucas about the problems with the gangling Gungan during shooting, but was ignored

Speaking to Jamie Stangroom for his Star Wars series These Aren't The Actors You're looking For, the 80-year-old screen veteran said he didn't have any problem with the character - but rather his dialogue.

'I did advise at times. I didn’t interrupt peoples interpretations because the interpretations were terrific, he’s fine,' he said.

'But if you’re playing a character like that or you’re playing Boss Nass, I always made sure that my noises didn’t interfere with dialogue, because I had a lot of plot.

One of the main gripes about the much derided Jar Jar - played by Ahmed Best - was his irritating and often hard to decipher accent.

I Speak: Speaking to Jamie Stangroom for his Star Wars series These Aren't The Actors You're looking For, the 80-year-old screen veteran said he didn't have any problem with the character - but rather his dialogue

Say what? One of the main gripes about the much derided Jar Jar - played by Ahmed Best - was his irritating and often hard to decipher accent

While Boss Nass - who was of the same species - had equally bizarre inflections, Blessed made sure his 'noises' did not interfere with his dialogue... especially since both characters were integral to the plot.

'I made it clear, then I made noises. But I didn’t make noises on the line, and I think Jar Jar Binks makes noises on the line, and he has a lot of plot, so the audience will go: "what did he say?!"

But when he warned Lucas that the audience were not going to be able to understand him, the director shrugged him off with: 'I’ll watch it Brian, I’ll watch it...'

Not listening: But when he warned Lucas that the audience were not going to be able to understand him, the director shrugged him off with: 'I’ll watch it Brian, I’ll watch it...'

Listen close: While Boss Nass - who was of the same species as Jar Jar - had equally bizarre inflections, Blessed made sure his 'noises' did not interfere with his dialogue... especially since both characters were integral to the plot

Before being hired to play the Gungan leader, Blessed claimed Lucas had originally planned to cast him as a Jedi, but wanted to harness his energy the other role.

He also blasted the current atmosphere of secrecy around not-yet-filmed Star Wars scripts as 'bloody silly'.

However he recounted a hilarious story about an archaic hotel fax machine spitting his Phantom Menace script all over the floor on giant paper, which may have given rise to the subsequent security measures regarding screenplays.

Blessed also debunked the long held belief that Alec Guinness - who played Obi Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy - hated Star Wars.

My bad: However he recounted a hilarious story about an archaic hotel fax machine spitting his Phantom Menace script all over the floor on giant paper, which may have given rise to the subsequent security measures regarding screenplays

With you... always: Blessed also debunked the long held belief that Alec Guinness - who played Obi Wan Kenobi in the original trilogy - hated Star Wars

'No, he loved it. It’s not true,' he insisted. 'Alec was madly in love with the whole thing.'

Sebastian Shaw however - who was immortalised as the unmasked face of Darth Vader in the finale of Return Of The Jedi - barely had a clue of what Star Wars even was.

Doing a meek impression of the late actor, Blessed recounted: 'I’ve been doing that Star Wars and I’ve been playing a character in it… they unwind a helmet off my head…I can’t remember what it was… what was it darling?…ah yes…Darth…Vader…I’m Darth Vader!'

'You’re what?!' and incredulous Blessed asked him. 'Do you understand the WORLD?? The world wants to play Darth Vader’s face! Don’t you know that, Sebastian?!'

Darth who? Sebastian Shaw however - who was immortalised as the unmasked face of Darth Vader in the finale of Return Of The Jedi - barely had a clue of what Star Wars even was