Jake Lloyd rose to fame as a child star when he was cast as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, but his life took a turn for the worse after he quit acting
Jake Lloyd’s life took a turn for the worse after he quit acting(Image: Colleton County Sheriff’s Office)
Anakin Skywalker actor Jake Lloyd has issued a major health update after previously “hitting rock bottom”.
The former Hollywood child star was setting up for big things after being cast alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Christmas classic Jingle All The Way, aged seven. Then his career moved up a notch when he was nine years old and beat 3,000 other hopefuls to land the role of young Anakin in Star Wars : Episode I – The Phantom Menace. But despite seemingly having the world at his feet, he chose to walk away from the industry.
The news comes after tributes were paid to former Star Wars actor Angus MacInnes, best known for playing Jon ‘Dutch’ Vander, who passed away aged 77. And it also follows on the praise heaped on Wetherspoons by punters for naming one of its boozers after a Star Wars and horror movie icon.
Jake Lloyd as a young Anakin Skywalker(Image: Lucasfilm/Disney)
Any desires Jake might have had about re-appearing on the silver screen were hijacked by a schizophrenia diagnosis, which saw his life blighted by mental health struggles.
He had led a relatively peaceful life until 2015 when police were called to his mother’s house to a report of an assault. Jake’s mother, Lisa Lloyd told cops the former actor had been off his meds, and refused to press charges.
According to the police report, Jake had shown up at the house and started yelling at his mother before he physically attacked her.
Jake’s performance in Star Wars had received harsh criticism from audiences and critics(Image: Lucasfilm/Disney)READ MORE: UFO-shaped flying vehicles could be future of Uber – jetting people at 250mph
She declined to press charges and told TMZ that Jake had been showing signs of schizophrenia since he was 19 and wasn’t a violent person.
In an interview last year with Star Wars: Timelines co-author Clayton Sandell, Lisa revealed the heartbreaking tale of her son’s last 15 years, which included a 10-month stint in jail.
She also revealed Jake believed that people with “black eyes” were watching him, and that he had a full-blown psychotic break in the middle of a busy Southern California street.
But now the mother and son have come together to join Clayton, and issued a positive update on Jake’s wellbeing.
During their chat the 35-year-old revealed that he was finally feeling “pretty good”.
Jake said part of the battle to get better was accepting the diagnosis(Image: Supplied)
Clayton revealed Jake had completed an 18-month stay at an inpatient mental health facility in Southern California, and is now living at a new rehabilitation centre where he’s still receiving treatment but is able to come and go as he pleases.
The pair said that one of the major issues Jake had was actually accepting his diagnosis, but is now moving forwards with a positive outlook, while getting the treatment he needs.
He admitted to feeling: “Pretty good, considering these 20 years of time that have come to an end. I can now accept taking on continued treatment, and therapy, and my meds. Everyone’s been very supportive.”
When asked about how he felt about taking his medications, Jake said: “I don’t have the time for feeling volatile. It is very much a cushion.”
Jake says he has fond memories of his time in The Phantom Menace(Image: Lucasfilm/Disney)
He shared that his treatment has brought about positive changes, and confessed that hitting rock bottom was a necessary step for him to “honestly take part in treatment, honestly take your meds, and honestly live with your diagnosis”.
Jake had previously opened up about being bullied at school, and faced harsh criticism for his acting in the Star Wars film when he was just nine.
However, in an interview with Clayton last year, Lisa strongly refuted claims that the negative feedback from critics and audiences led Jake to quit acting and contributed to his mental health issues. She highlighted that there was already a history of schizophrenia on his father’s side of the family among other factors.
In fact Jake says he remains a Star Wars fan with fond memories of making The Phantom Menace.
While he currently doesn’t make public appearances at conventions like he used to, Jake admits that “the experience I’ve had with the fans is immediately therapeutic”.
He said: “Right now, it’s still therapeutic. It’s helpful for people and healthy. It isn’t something I’d shy away from.”