Jake Lloyd, the former child actor who played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, feels “pretty good” at the start of 2025.
Lloyd, now 35, recently completed an 18-month stay at an inpatient mental health facility in Southern California, author Clayton Sandell reported on Wednesday, Jan. 1. The actor, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, is starting the new year living at a rehabilitation center where he is receiving treatment.
Lloyd’s mother Lisa Lloyd told Sandell her son struggled with anosognosia, which is common for those with schizophrenia. It is a condition “where your brain can’t recognize one or more other health conditions you have,” per the Cleveland Clinic, which adds that people with it are “much more likely to avoid or resist treatment for their other health conditions.”
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When Sandell asked how he was doing, Lloyd had positive news to share.
“Pretty good, considering these 20 years of time that have come to an end,” Lloyd said. “I can now accept taking on continued treatment, and therapy, and my meds. Everyone’s been very supportive.” (Lisa later told Sandell it hasn’t been 20 years since he was diagnosed.)
Lloyd was 8 years old when George Lucas cast him as Anakin in The Phantom Menace, which meant his face was everywhere in 1999. Lisa told Sandell last year in an interview published by Scripps News that the negative response to the movie had nothing to do with his decision to leave acting behind or his mental health decline. She noted that there was a history of schizophrenia in his father’s family.
In 2015, Lloyd was arrested in South Carolina during a road trip from Florida to Canada. He spent 10 months in prison, which led to Lisa telling TMZ her son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. In May 2023, Lloyd had a complete “psychotic break” and was arrested after turning his car off in the middle of a three-lane road.
Hitting “rock bottom” was necessary to “honestly take part in treatment, honestly take your meds, and honestly live with your diagnosis,” Lloyd told Sandell.
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Today, Lloyd is a Star Wars fan himself and is playing through the franchise’s classic video games. Although he is not appearing at fan conventions, he told Sandell that the experiences he has had with fans are “immediately therapeutic.”
“I really do appreciate the time that’s been taken on us,” Lloyd said. “I’m very appreciative.”
Lloyd still has some catching up to do when it comes to Disney’s latest Star Wars projects. He told Sandell he was “holding out” for May the Fourth to watch as much as he can.
“Jake’s actually getting so much better than he was,” Lisa also told Sandell. “It’s a big relief for me and the rest of his family. We’re all just thrilled that he’s doing as well as he is, and that he’s working really hard at it. We appreciate that.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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