Michael Jackson could've been Jar Jar Binks in 'Star Wars'

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IANS Los Angeles
Last Updated : Jul 24 2015 | 2:02 PM IST

Late king of pop Michael Jackson wanted to play of Jar Jar Binks, one of "Star Wars" most disliked characters, according to Ahmed Best, the actor who played the clumsy creature in the film.

Jackson apparently expressed an interest in playing the character using prosthetics and make-up similar to his "Thriller" video, but George Lucas, the director of the popular series, rejected the notion, reports variety.com.

Best told Vice magazine that he met Jackson backstage at one of his concerts, which he attended with actress Natalie Portman and Lucas.

"George introduced me as 'Jar Jar,' and I was like, 'That's kind of weird'," Best said.

Jackson drove off and the rest went to an after-party.

"I'm having a drink with George, and I said, 'Why did you introduce me as Jar Jar?' He said, 'Well, Michael wanted to do the part but he wanted to do it in prosthetics and make-up like 'Thriller'."

But Lucas decided to make Binks entirely computer generated.

"My guess is ultimately Michael Jackson would have been bigger than the movie, and I don't think he wanted that," he said.

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First Published: Jul 24 2015 | 1:52 PM IST

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