Jake Lloyd Journey From Anakin Skywalker to Battling Mental Health
Jake Lloyd, who portrayed Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace, stepped away from the spotlight shortly after the movie’s release. In a recent interview, Jake’s mother, Lisa Lloyd, updated her son’s health and addressed longstanding rumors within the Star Wars community.
Jake Lloyd Journey
Lisa revealed that Jake was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2008. His struggles included experiencing different realities, seeing people with “black eyes,” and even having conversations with Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show. Additionally, Jake exhibited a neurological condition called anosognosia, which led him to deny his symptoms and resist seeking treatment. He believed he didn’t need medication or therapy because he didn’t consider himself ill.
Lisa talked to Scripps News and said her son was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2008 after struggling and talking about living in different realities, seeing people with “black eyes,” and mentioning having conversations with The Daily Show host Jon Stewart.
On top of that, Jake seemed to have a neurological condition called anosognosia, which causes a patient to be in denial about their symptoms.
“He didn’t think he needed to take medication because he wasn’t sick,” Lisa said. “He didn’t think he needed to go to the therapist because there’s nothing wrong with him.”
In 2015, Jake got in trouble with the law, leading deputies across a multi-county persecution that ended in a crash. Lisa hired an attorney to try to get her son out of jail and checked into a medical facility as he was off his medications. However, Lisa was told the hospital was out of beds, and Jake spent 10 months in jail. In 2018, Jake’s sister, who appeared as an extra in The Phantom Menace, died of natural causes, which aggravated his condition.
Lisa said that in March 2023, Jake suffered “a full-blown psychotic break” when he asked her mom to stop the car in the middle of the street. Jake was then admitted to a mental health rehabilitation facility, where he has shown an improvement in the 10 months he’s been there.
Things are so much better that Jake can now watch movies, having watched Wonka recently.
“That was one of the things that we couldn’t do when he was off his medication was watch movies. He just didn’t have the attention span for it,” Lisa said.
Lisa also mentioned that Jake is a huge Star Wars fan and recently watched the Disney+ series Ahsoka. The former child actor received an action figure of the show’s star for his birthday.
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“He loves all the new Star Wars stuff,” she says. “People think Jake hates Star Wars. He loves it.”
Lisa also dispelled the misconception that what led to Jake’s mental illness was the backlash The Phantom Menace received when it was released.
“It would have happened anyway,” Lisa said, noting the medical history of schizophrenia on Jake’s father’s side of the family. “I believe that it was genetic. And his psychiatrist also agrees that Jake is going to become schizophrenic.”
She continued, “I protected him from the backlash. He was riding his bike outside, playing with his friends. He didn’t know. He didn’t care. Everybody makes such a big deal about that. And it’s rather annoying to me because Jake was a little kid when that came out, and he didn’t really feel all that stuff because I didn’t let him online.”
Lisa also clarified that Jake didn’t quit acting due to Star Wars, saying that “it had to do with our family. And we were going through divorce.”
Although Lisa doesn’t see Jake returning to the Star Wars universe, she does recall he “loved filming Star Wars. He had so much fun.”
Before The Phantom Menace, Jake had starred in films like Jingle alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Apollo 11. On television, Jake appears in episodes of ER and The Pretender. His last film credit was in 2001’s Madison.
In 2015, Jake encountered legal trouble, leading to a multi-county pursuit that ended in a crash. Despite Lisa’s efforts to secure medical care for him, Jake spent 10 months in jail due to a lack of available hospital beds. Tragically, in 2018, Jake’s sister (who had a minor role in The Phantom Menace) passed away, further impacting his mental health.
In March 2023, Jake experienced a full-blown psychotic break, prompting his admission to a mental health rehabilitation facility. During his 10-month stay, he has shown improvement. Jake can now watch movies, a significant change from when he was off medication and lacked the attention span for films. His love for Star Wars remains strong, and he recently enjoyed watching the Disney+ series Ahsoka. Lisa emphasized that Jake’s mental illness was not caused by backlash from The Phantom Menace but likely had a genetic basis, given a history of schizophrenia on his father’s side.
Despite the challenges he has faced, Jake’s passion for Star Wars endures, dispelling the misconception that he dislikes the franchise. As Lisa shared, “He loves all the new Star Wars stuff” and appreciates the support of fans.
