The former-child actor, who starred as a young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 hit The Phantom Menace, was arrested in June 2015 after he led police on a high-speed car chase across two counties in South Carolina.
The 27-year-old was charged with reckless driving, failure to stop and driving without a driver’s licence after he eventually crashed through a fence in a messy end to the dangerous chase.
Shortly after his arrest, Jake’s mother Lisa told gossip site, TMZ that her son had attacked her several months earlier after failing to take his medication. She chose not to press charges for the incident.
According to a new report from TMZ, after spending nearly 10 months in prison the troubled child star has been transferred to a psychiatric centre after authorities concluded that professional help was required for his schizophrenia.
Watch the awkward moment Jake shuts down questions about Star Wars in the player below! Post continues after the video…
Since his move to the mental health facility, Jake’s mother Lisa has told TMZ that improvements can already been seen in her son’s personality.
Although a date has not been set for his release from the facility, Jake’s family are in no rush and simply hope that their loved one can receive the help that is needed to aid in his recovery.
Jake recalls his Hollywood upbringing as a “living hell”.
Jake’s Hollywood spotlight began when he starred as Anakin Skywalker alongside Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor in Star Wars Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. He was just 10 years old at the time.
After his hurried rise to fame, Jake only reprised his role as Anakin for five video games before he quit acting altogether.
In a 2012 interview, he described his acting childhood as “a living hell.”
A young, Jake pictured with his mother Lisa.
“My entire school life was really a living hell — and I had to do up to 60 interviews a day.”
“Other children were really mean to me,” he confessed in an interview with Blackbook. “They would make the sound of the light saber every time they saw me. It was totally mad.”
Following his stint in the bright lights of Tinseltown, Jake moved to Chicago to study film and psychology at the Columbia College Chicago however he dropped out after a semester.
Readers who are seeking assistance can call the SANE helpline on 1800 18 SANE (7263) or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
“I’ve learned to hate it when the cameras are pointed at me,” Jake said to the Daily Mail “For me to go back and watch it now would be kind of creepy.”
