In 1999, he became a world star at age 10 by playing Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Today, 25 years later, Jake Lloyd suffers from psychiatric disorders that require hospitalization.
The mother of the actor, now 35 years old, spoke to Scripps News, an American celebrity site, to talk about her son’s health and especially the reason for the onset of his neurological disease. According to her, her pathology is the consequence of Jake’s starification too early. Very soon after the release of George Lucas’ film, and therefore during his adolescence, the prodigy actor had difficulty adapting to a normal life among his high school friends. And this difficulty of adaptation would have modified his personality. She still remembers a conversation she had with him: “He started talking about realities. He no longer knew the difference between the virtual and the real world. I asked him about his schoolwork. He said, ‘Do I really need to do all this?’
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Trailer for Star Wars, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 1999 by George Lucas, with Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Jake Lloyd…
Her son’s destabilization pushed Lisa Lloyd to have him followed by psychiatrists. At first, they noticed bipolarity. But unfortunately, medical treatments did not have the desired effect. His psychiatric problems even worsened after the age of 18. Lisa Lloyd remembers this critical period: “He skipped school. He told me that people were following him. People with black eyes looked at him in the street. While watching TV, he sometimes spoke with the presenters.
Over time, psychiatrists diagnosed schizophrenic-type paranoia. This disease is pernicious because the patient does not realize his pathology. Today, at 35, Jake Lloyd has been living in a rehabilitation center for 10 months. According to his mother, his condition seems to be improving: “He is becoming more and more sociable.” He still loves Star Wars, including recent series like Ahsoka.