A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
The year was 1999 and Jake Lloyd was just 10 years old, shooting to fame after portraying Star Wars anti-hero, Anakin Skywalker.
Many would remember when the former nineties actor became a household name after starring in the first Star Wars prequel The Phantom Menace and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Christmas movie Jingle All The Way – but where is he today?
Now, 15 years later, the once-beloved child star has been involved in a number of volatile incidents since he well and truly stepped away from the lime light.
Earlier this year Jake’s mother, Lisa Lloyd tragically revealed her son has schizophrenic and he had attacked her after going off his medication.
Her comments were made after Jake was arrested in June on charges including resisting arrest and failing to stop for a police officer in South Carolina.
TMZ reported that the now 26 year old, “eventually reached 117 miles per hour as he led police on a chase that ended with Jake crashing into a tree.”
While Jake hasn’t commented about his arrest, he has spoken candidly about his time in Hollywood.
In a chat with the Daily Mail he described his Star Wars fame as a “living hell”, which resulted in bullying at school. Jake also recalled the pain of doing over 60 interviews a day.
It’s no wonder little Anakin became Darth Vader!
“I’ve learned to hate it when the cameras are pointed at me,” he said.
“When you have something like that there’s a lot of expectations for it to meet the standards of the public and I don’t think George [Lucas] did that.”
Staying true to his word, Jake hasn’t starred in a single movie since. Instead he went on to study film and psychology at Columbia College Chicago.
Click through the gallery to check out Jake’s dramatic transformation from child star to troubled adult.
Who could forget Jake Lloyd when he played the adorable Anakin Skywalker (L) in the Star Wars prequel The Phantom Menace.
At the tender age of 10, the Colorado born boy quickly shot to fame become a household name in 1999. But sadly for the now 26 year old, fame was a fickle thing.
Shedding his adorable good boy image, Jake was arrested in June this year on charges including resisting arrest and failing to stop for a police officer in South Carolina. The actor tried to hid his identity by going under the alias of Jake Broadbent.
Following his arrest, Jake’s mother Lisa Lloyd revealed her son is schizophrenic.
The sweet-natured actor discovered living up to his roles in huge Hollywood blockbusters like Star Wars and the Arnold Schwarzenegger Christmas movie Jingle All The Way was impossible.
While Jake hasn’t commented about his arrest, he has spoken out candidly about his time in Hollywood, describing it as a “living hell”.
During a chat with the Daily Mail he said, “I’ve learned to hate it when the cameras are pointed at me. When you have something like that there’s a lot of expectations for it to meet the standards of the public and I don’t think George [Lucas] did that.”
Jake quit acting and went on to study film and psychology at Columbia College Chicago.
Despite stepping away from the business, Jake reprised his role as Anakin for five Star Wars video games.
While many slammed the controversial Star Wars prequel, Jake found support in one of Hollywood’s brightest former child stars, Happy Days actor and acclaimed director, Ron Howard. In an open letter following negative reviews of the film, Ron said, “In my opinion, Jake Lloyd is terrific in the film (which, by the way, is truly amazing).”
While turmoil has engulfed this young padwan, we have hope that Jake will turn things around. May the force be with you.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
