“The experience I’ve had with the fans is immediately therapeutic,” said the Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace star, 35, who just recently completed an 18-month stay at an inpatient mental health facility.
Former child star Jake Lloyd is sharing a rare update on his mental health amid his struggles with schizophrenia.
In a recent interview with author Clayton Sandell, Lloyd — who is best known for playing a young Anakin Skywalker in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace — reflected on his journey with the mental health condition, and opened up about how he’s doing as he continues to receive treatment.
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As noted in the interview, which was conducted a few days before Christmas, Lloyd, 35, had completed an 18-month stay at an inpatient mental health facility a few weeks prior, and is currently living at a new rehabilitation center where he will continue to get treatment.
And after nearly two decades following his schizophrenia diagnosis in 2008, Lloyd shared he’s doing “pretty good.”
“Pretty good, considering these 20 years of time that have come to an end,” he said when Sandell asked how the former actor is feeling. “I can now accept taking on continued treatment, and therapy, and my meds. Everyone’s been very supportive.”
Lloyd’s mother, Lisa, who Sandell noted was also on the phone call, clarified that it hasn’t technically been 20 years since her son received his diagnosis.
Lisa also shared that an important factor in Lloyd’s progress is being able to address his struggles with anosognosia, a medical condition, when regarding mental illness, in which “someone is unaware of their own mental health condition or that they can’t perceive their condition accurately,” according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
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It can be common among those who suffer from certain conditions, such as schizophrenia. Per NAMI, the “lack of insight” that can occur with those who suffer from anosognosia “typically causes a person to avoid treatment” or take their medications.
During his conversation with Sandell, Lloyd shared how he feels when he takes his medication. “I don’t have the time for feeling volatile,” he said. “It is very much a cushion.”
Lloyd rose to fame following the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 1999. George Lucas cast him when he was eight years old. While he ultimately retired from acting a couple of years later, and his mental health later declined, Lloyd’s mother stated in a March 2024 interview with Sandell that it was not a result of negative reactions to the film despite speculation. Lisa said at the time that she felt Lloyd’s schizophrenia diagnosis “would have happened anyway,” due to his father’s side having a history of the mental illness.
Lloyd’s schizophrenia diagnosis was revealed in 2015. He was arrested in South Carolina in June 2015 for reckless driving, failure to stop, resisting arrest and driving without a license while driving from Florida to Canada, which led to a police chase and him crashing his car. According to TMZ, the March prior, police responded to reports that Lloyd had assaulted his mother. Lisa — who did not press charges — subsequently revealed to the outlet that her son suffers from schizophrenia and had not been taking his medication. Lloyd spent 10 months in jail for the vehicle accident, before he was transferred to a psychiatric facility.
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His mental health continued to decline following his sister’s death in 2018, with Lloyd suffering from a psychotic break in May 2023. While speaking with Sandell in the interview published in Scripps News in March 2024, Lisa said her son “turned the car off” when they were in the middle of three lanes of traffic. He was subsequently admitted into a mental health facility, where, as previously mentioned, he remained until recently.
Now, looking back, Lloyd said he believes he needed to hit “rock bottom” to ultimately get better to “honestly take part in treatment, honestly take your meds, and honestly live with your diagnosis.”
Meanwhile, Lloyd is still a Star Wars fan, and expressed his gratitude for the support of the fanbase amid his struggles.
“The experience I’ve had with the fans is immediately therapeutic,” he shared. “Right now, it’s still therapeutic. It’s helpful for people and healthy. It isn’t something I’d shy away from.”
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“I really do appreciate the time that’s been taken on us,” he added. “I’m very appreciative.”
Lloyd’s mother went on to share the good news that her son is “getting so much better than he was.”
“It’s a big relief for me and the rest of his family,” she told Sandell. “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 has been playing Star Wars video games, and said he plans to get up to speed on Star Wars television shows and films in May.
“I’m holding out for May the Fourth with my mom,” Lloyd said, referring to the Star Wars holiday.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
