Actor Jake Lloyd Who Played Anakin Skywalker in 'Star Wars' Taken to Psychiatric Facility *UPDATED STATUS*

[Dead2009]

http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2016/04/star-wars-anakin-skywalker-psychiatric-facility

Jake Lloyd might not be a name you recognize, but you would have certainly seen him in the first film of the Star Wars prequel series Episode I: The Phantom Menace as a young 10-year-old Anakin Skywalker (aka Darth Vader). According to his Wikipedia and IMDb, he hasn't been up to much besides a few voice roles here and there: Such is the curse being in a Star Wars movie.

Lloyd, however, has been attracting press and generating headlines for reasons other than acting, unfortunately. TMZ reports that Lloyd has been moved from a jail cell to a psychiatric facility where he will be treated for schizophrenia. He was serving time in jail after he was involved in a high speed car chase (over 100 miles per hour) over a 25 mile stretch from Charleston to Colleton County in South Carolina last year. The chase came to a dramatic end when he crashed into a fence and hit some trees.

Lloyd's mom reportedly told TMZ that "authorities reached the conclusion he needed help more than punishment" and that there is no schedule for his release, rather there is a focus on him reaching a healthy status before being assessed for release.

 

[Phroobar]

What did say when he got pulled over?
"Now THIS is pod racing!"

 

[champdisney]

Read up on this yesterday. This is incredibly sad to hear. I hope Jake gets the proper treatment. I can only imagine the long road he has ahead of him. May the force be with you, young Skywalker.

 

[CastleBound]

Yea I feel really bad for the kid. I imagine he has been tormented for his work in TPM. It's a shame. He did nothing wrong. If you want to blame someone, blame George for not knowing how to direct kids in his films. I don't really know too much about schizophrenia, but I'm sure the stress he went through during his life after being tormented didn't help. Poor kid.

 

[Phroobar]

Most actors are schizophrenic to one degree or another. It helps them make their role believable to the audience. It also makes it hard for them to accept failure. This kid was cast in the biggest movie ever and no where near emotionally prepared for it. The movie made tons of money but later internet fan boys turned on it and blamed this kid for ruining their "childhoods". How do you deal with everyone around you jumping on the band wagon saying you suck when you were primed for glory? In Jake's case, you crash and burn just like a lot of child actors that are no longer cute. What I don't get is why didn't he get over it seventeen years later?

 

[5thGenTexan]

Most actors are schizophrenic to one degree or another. It helps them make their role believable to the audience. It also makes it hard for them to accept failure. This kid was cast in the biggest movie ever and no where near emotionally prepared for it. The movie made tons of money but later internet fan boys turned on it and blamed this kid for ruining their "childhoods". How do you deal with everyone around you jumping on the band wagon saying you suck when you were primed for glory? In Jake's case, you crash and burn just like a lot of child actors that are no longer cute. Why I don't get is why didn't he get over it seventeen years later?

It was not the best Star Wars movie ever, but I think someone might have something going on themselves if a kid in a Star Wars movie "ruined their childhood". I don't know what sort of childhood these people had, but I know mine consisted of doing unspeakable horrible things to some of my Star Wars figures. Many happened in the notorious Pit of Sand Box. Jake Lloyd had zero impact on anything I did in 1977 - .... regarding Star Wars.

 

[Dead2009]

From what I've read, he's been over all the hatred Phantom Menace got so I doubt it has anything to do with what he's going through now.

 

[216bruce]

If I had to spend all that time with JarJar Binks...well....yeah...I can see that.

 

[prberk]

Has anyone seen the "awkward" interview he had with a geek interviewer. While it seemed that Jake already had some animosity toward Hollywood and his experience here, I think the interviewer also could have taken obvious cues and moved the interview to something beyond the movie. It seems like he was also out to jab Jake with questions like, "Has being Anakin Skywalker helped with the ladies?"

 

[Dead2009]

I know this thread is a few years old but there's been an update on his condition

https:///2020/01/star-wars-actor-ja...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

[Robbiem]

I know this thread is a few years old but there's been an update on his condition

https:///2020/01/star-wars-actor-ja...al&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I really hope he is able to overcome his demons. I know how hard it can be to cope and I really do wish him well, its so sadhow he has been treated

 

[smooch]

I only just recently learned about his condition when my brother mentioned it to me in a conversation a few months ago. It is so sad he endured such ridicule in school and I am so sad to learn he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, I can't imagine how difficult it must be to deal with that. I don't get why the kids would mock him for being in Star Wars, if I knew someone who played a role in Star Wars, no matter if you think their acting was well done or not, I would look at them as a celebrity and with praise. Obviously the bullying paired with his mental disorder just multiplies the issues he deals with, but I am glad the family says that things are starting to look up and he is on the road to recovery. I really wish him the best and hope that one day he is able to lead a normal life.

 

[prberk]

You know, I wonder if they have ever reached out to Wil Wheaton. It occurs to me that he might be uniquely qualified to speak to Jake about his experiences and ways he coped with the criticism and ultimately overcame it. I remember the Star Trek fans absolutely piling on to criticize Wil's character of Wesley Crusher in the new Star Trek at the time, and there were reports of Wil getting some of the same treatment that Jake received from friends and adult fans (as right or wrong as that might be for people to do).

All of this speaks to the way children can be cruel to each other, and also how over-the-top fans can be... and I am sure that the advent of the internet and smart phones (with immediate reaction proliferation via social media) has changed it all even since Wil Wheaton's experience. Wil ended up sort of "caving" to it but ultimately owning it by creating his own 'blogs and sort of turning it into a positive for himself. But I know it took time and fortitude.

 

[Lilofan]

Who managed all his earnings as a child actor? Hopefully he is not another example of a child actor who wasted away all of his net worth.

 

[Darkprime]

I only just recently learned about his condition when my brother mentioned it to me in a conversation a few months ago. It is so sad he endured such ridicule in school and I am so sad to learn he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, I can't imagine how difficult it must be to deal with that. I don't get why the kids would mock him for being in Star Wars, if I knew someone who played a role in Star Wars, no matter if you think their acting was well done or not, I would look at them as a celebrity and with praise. Obviously the bullying paired with his mental disorder just multiplies the issues he deals with, but I am glad the family says that things are starting to look up and he is on the road to recovery. I really wish him the best and hope that one day he is able to lead a normal life.

Both Jake and the Jar Jar actor went through hell. Where was Hollywood when these guys needed them? Its kinda ed up how Hollywood turned their back on these guys.

 

[Magenta Panther]

Poor kid. Star Wars fans can be so toxic...

 

[prberk]

Both Jake and the Jar Jar actor went through hell. Where was Hollywood when these guys needed them? Its kinda ****ed up how Hollywood turned their back on these guys.

Hollywood is littered with the bones of child actors whom it has chewed up and spit out. It has been that way since the beginning. The list is endless. I can't help but think of Jackie Coogan, Carl "Alfalfa" Schweitzer, Gary Coleman, Brian Bonsall, and on and on. Like I said above, few have made it through unscathed, but at least Wil Wheaton has been able to and perhaps could be a lesson for others on how to navigate it.