American actor Jake Lloyd became famous for his role as young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I

American actor Jake Lloyd became famous for his role as young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Recently, it was reported that he has been in a mental health facility for the past ten months and will remain there for another six months, as confirmed by his mother, Lisa Lloyd.

Foto: IFA Film / United Archives / Profimedia / Profimedia

Today, 35-year-old Jake Lloyd, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2008, left the acting world due to negative reactions to The Phantom Menace. However, his mother, Lisa Lloyd, dismisses the idea that this impacted his mental health.

“This would have happened anyway. I believe it’s genetic, and his psychiatrist agrees that Jake was destined to become schizophrenic,” she stated.

Foto:IFA Film / United Archives / Profimedia / Profimedia

Concerns about his troubling behavior began during high school, when symptoms became more frequent and developed rapidly. “He started talking about ‘parallel realities.’ He didn’t know if he was in this reality or another one. I didn’t really know how to respond to that,” she recalled.

Lisa took her son to see a doctor, who initially suspected bipolar disorder before reaching a definitive diagnosis. She shared the difficult struggle of trying to help Jake, who often refused to take his medication. Last year, he experienced a breakdown while they were driving, which nearly resulted in both of them being killed. Following this incident, Jake was placed in a facility for a year and a half.

Foto:Mary Evans/AF Archive/Graham Whi / Mary Evans Picture Library / Profimedia / Profimedia

“He’s doing much better than I expected. He’s connecting with people more and becoming a bit more sociable, which is really nice. It’s like the old Jake is coming back, as he’s always been incredibly social before he got sick,” Lisa admitted.

Jake was only nine years old when he portrayed young Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace, but the fame that followed brought him numerous problems. The film disappointed many fans of the franchise, leading to bullying at school. After making Madison in 2001, he withdrew from acting. Besides Star Wars, he also had a notable role in the 1996 comedy Jingle All the Way alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Foto:Keith Mayhew / Newscom / Profimedia / Profimedia

In 2015, he was arrested for reckless driving without a license, running a red light, and resisting arrest, which resulted in a ten-month jail sentence. He was later transferred to a psychiatric facility, where he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. He briefly left the hospital in 2019 and reportedly spent his 32nd birthday there. He was released again and returned last year.

Foto:Profimedia

Several years earlier, it was reported that Jake physically attacked his mother, but she did not file charges because he was not on medication at the time. In 2018, he also faced the loss of his younger sister Madison, who passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 26. Jake’s mother stated that her death shattered the entire family, especially her son.