‘Star Wars’ Child Actor Jake Lloyd Opens Up About Schizophrenia Diagnosis, Feeling “Pretty Good”

deadline.com:

Jake Lloyd, who rose to fame as young Anakin Skywalker in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace, is opening up about his mental health struggles and the schizophrenia diagnosis that contributed to his leaving Hollywood shortly after the film’s release.

In a new interview with Star Wars: Timelines co-author Clayton Sandell, Jake Lloyd said he was feeling “pretty good” after completing an 18-month stay at an inpatient mental health facility in Southern California.

He is currently residing at a new rehabilitation center, where he’s still receiving treatment but is a free agent regarding leaving and coming back. “[I feel] pretty good, considering these 20 years of time that have come to an end,” he said. “I can now accept taking on continued treatment, and therapy, and my meds.

Everyone’s been very supportive.” As Jake Lloyd’s mother, Lisa Lloyd, shared earlier last year, part of the issue was overcoming anosognosia, a neurological condition that causes a patient to be unconsciously in denial about their symptoms. “I don’t have the time for feeling volatile,” Jake Lloyd said of taking medication. “It is very much a cushion.” The former actor said “good things” have come from his time in treatment and that hitting “rock bottom” was necessary in order to “honestly take part in treatment, honestly take your meds, and honestly live with your diagnosis.” At just 8 years old, Jake Lloyd became a recognizable face after having appeared in George Lucas’ first prequel film.