Ahmed Best, who played Jar-Jar Binks in the Star Wars prequels, says he was left contemplating suicide after the massive amount of abuse and criticism levelled at his character.
Best was both the voice and motion-capture actor for Binks, the CGI alien in the movies, beginning with Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in 1999, which he starred in when he was 25.
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But the character was not well-liked, and that's putting it mildly - Bink was slated in the media for being 'pointless', 'annoying' and for 'dumbing down' the films.
He was even accused of being a racist stereotype, with some saying the character played to Jamaican stereotypes - an accusation creator George Lucas has also shot down.
Addressing the claims in an interview with the BBC in 1999, Lucas said: "How in the world could you take an orange amphibian and say that he's a Jamaican? It's completely absurd. Believe me, Jar Jar was not drawn from a Jamaican, from any stretch of the imagination."
But despite Lucas' defence of the character, the abuse continued and Best has now taken to Twitter to reveal how badly the critics got to him, sharing a photo of himself on a bridge with his little boy:
The post has since been flooded with messages of support for the actor - and the character.
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In an interview with Wired last year, Best said: "I had death threats through the internet.
"I had people come to me and say, 'You destroyed my childhood.' That's difficult for a 25-year-old to hear."
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Explore more here and don't suffer in silence. Reach out. It's the brave thing to do.
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Featured Image Credit: PA/Lucasfilm
Topics: Star Wars, U OK M8, TV and Film, Mental Health