Ahmed Best, the actor who supplied the motion-capture performance and voice of Jar Jar Binks in the little-loved Star Wars prequels, has said the reception to his role led him to consider taking his own life.

Best, who was 25 at the time of the release of the first in the trilogy of prequels, The Phantom Menace, in 1999, tweeted that he “faced a media backlash that still affects my career today”.

Best posted a photo of himself and his son on a high bridge, saying: “This was the place I almost ended my life. It’s still hard to talk about. I survived and now this little guy is my gift for survival.”

The actor ended with a question: “Would this be a good story for my solo show? Lemme know.”

Jar Jar, who was inspired by the Walt Disney character Goofy, played a major role in the first prequel, being saved by Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn and Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, before going on to befriend the young Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd).

The size of his part in the two subsequent films was much reduced. Conceived as comic relief, he was critically reviled and remains one of the most loathed characters ever to grace the screen. Michael Jackson had been eager to take on the role with the help of prosthetics, but director George Lucas instead chose to make Jar Jar computer-generated.

Last year, Best told Wired that he had been shocked by the brutality of the fans’ reaction. “I had death threats through the internet,” he said. “I had people come to me and say, ‘You destroyed my childhood.’ That’s difficult for a 25-year-old to hear.”

Two weeks ago, Star Wars fans outraged by the latest official instalment in the canon, The Last Jedi, announced plans were afoot for a fan-funded remake more in line with their vision. Last month, the Facebook group Down With Disney’s Treatment of Franchises and Its Fanboys claimed credit for the online abuse levelled at Last Jedi stars Daisy Ridley and Kelly Marie Tran, who quit social media as a result.

Best’s post elicited words of support and encouragement on Twitter, including from film-maker Frank Oz, who defended Jar Jar as a “GREAT character”.

•In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international suicide helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org.