"Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" Star Jake Lloyd Gave A Rare Interview On His Schizophrenia Diagnosis

This post contains discussion of mental health issues.

Regardless of your age, you probably know actor Jake Lloyd. Along with roles in films like Jingle All the Way, he starred as young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 blockbuster Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.

After starring in The Phantom Menace, Jake acted in a few more films before essentially retiring from Hollywood. His last acting role to date was in the film Madison, which was released in 2001.

Over the last decade, Jake has also publicly struggled with his mental health, which has resulted in several arrests for charges like alleged assault and reckless driving. In 2015, his mother Lisa Lloyd revealed that he'd been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and last year he was hospitalized for 18 months after experiencing a "psychotic break."

In a recently published interview with author Clayton Sandell, Jake gave his first interview since being hospitalized, and he gave an update on living with his condition.

Lisa also joined him for the interview, in which she disclosed that Jake wasn't previously able to properly recognize his schizophrenia diagnosis because of a neurological condition called anosognosia, which the National Alliance on Mental Illness defines as "a common symptom of certain mental illnesses" where "someone is unaware of their own mental health condition or that they can’t perceive their condition accurately."

When asked about how he's feeling now, Jake replied, “Pretty good, considering these 20 years of time that have come to an end. I can now accept taking on continued treatment, and therapy, and my meds. Everyone’s been very supportive.”

“I don’t have the time for feeling volatile," he added on taking regular medication to treat his schizophrenia. "It is very much a cushion.”

Jake also reflected on how "good things" came from him reaching "rock bottom," and how his trajectory over the last decade led to him to “honestly take part in treatment, honestly take your meds and honestly live with your diagnosis.”

You can read the entire interview right here.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-800-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.