‘Star Wars’ Actor Opens Up About Recent Health Struggles: ‘Feeling Pretty Good’

“Star Wars” actor Jake Lloyd, who is best known for playing child Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace,” has opened up about his years-long battle with schizophrenia in a recent interview with “Star Wars: Timelines” co-author Clayton Sandell. The actor – whose acting career was sidelined shortly after the prequel took the box office by storm in 1999 – thanked “Star Wars” fans for their support over the years and shared new details on his health struggles.

Lloyd’s mother, Lisa, previously shared that the actor entered treatment after suffering what she described as a “full-blown psychotic break.” In an interview with Scripps News, Lisa explained that her son’s mental health struggles began in high school. “He started talking about ‘realities.’ He didn’t know if he was in this reality, or a different reality. I didn’t really know exactly what to say to that,” she said.

Lloyd appears in ‘Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace’

Lisa took Jake to a doctor who suggested her son might be suffering from bipolar disorder. They tried a number of different medications, though nothing seemed to work. Jake ultimately went on to attend Columbia College in Chicago, where he studied film and psychology, though he ultimately dropped out after one semester.“He missed a lot of classes, and he was telling me that people were following him,” Lisa said.

From there, the actor’s mother described a “downward spiral” during which Lloyd would have “conversations” with television hosts through the screen. “He didn’t tell us he was hearing voices at the time. But he was,” Lisa remembered.

The American Psychiatric Association now uses the umbrella term “schizophrenia” to describe the disorder Jake was diagnosed with. It can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and a lack of motivation that can impact virtually every aspect of a patient’s life. Schizophrenia affects 1 in 300 people, or approximately 24 million worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

Lloyd’s condition continued to worsen in the years following his decision to withdraw from college. He has been arrested multiple times, including one incident in which he led police on a high-speed chase in South Carolina. The spiral, according to Lisa, culminated in a “psychotic break” in March of last year. At that point, the former “Star Wars” star was checked into a rehab facility, where he remained for a number of months.

Lloyd was recently checked out of an in-patient mental health facility in Southern California and told Sandel that he is feeling “pretty good.” He is still undergoing treatment from a different facility, though he is on a set schedule and is free to come and go as he chooses. “I can now accept taking on continued treatment, and therapy, and my meds. Everyone’s been very supportive,” he said.

He further emphasized that “good things” have come from his rehabilitation stint, although improvement only came after hitting “rock bottom,” the former actor said. This feeling propelled him to seek treatment, he explained, stating that he feels it was a necessary step to “honestly take part in treatment, honestly take your meds, and honestly live with your diagnosis,” he said.

“I don’t have the time for feeling volatile,” Lloyd said of his medication. “It is very much a cushion.”

Lloyd signs autographs at a “Star Wars” fan event in 2008

“Jake’s actually getting so much better than he was,” she said. “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.”

Lloyd was thrust into international fame at the age of 8 when he played a starring role in the first film of the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy. The film, which was the first “Star Wars” theatrical release since the original trilogy, was a box office and cultural sensation when it released in 1999. The role led to a number of endorsement deals and ad campaigns, in addition to several voice acting roles in video games, for the child actor.

Jake also appeared in the 1996 Christmas film “Jingle All The Way,” in which he starred alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. Prior to his retirement from acting in 2001, Lloyd’s last acting credit came in “Madison,” a sports drama that starred Jim Caviezel.