Jake Lloyd
Sam Levy/WireImageJake Lloydbest known for playing a young Anakin Skywalker in 1999 Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menaceprovided an update on his diagnosis of schizophrenia.
In an interview with Clayton Sandell published via Substack on Wednesday, January 1, Lloyd, 35, shared that he was “pretty good considering it’s been 20 years.” He revealed in late 2024 that he was currently living in a rehab facility after completing an 18-month stint at an inpatient mental health facility in Southern California.
Lloyd revealed that, along with schizophrenia, he had been diagnosed with anosognosia. According to the Cleveland Clinic, anosognosia is a neurological condition that causes a person’s brain to be unaware of their health status, often causing patients to avoid or resist treatment.
“I can now agree to continue my treatment, therapy and medication. Everyone has been very supportive,” Lloyd said, describing how he feels while taking his medication. “I don’t have time to feel unstable. It’s very much a cushion.”
Lloyd was only 8 years old when he was cast as a young Anakin Skywalker Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. According to the former actor, his experience with Star Wars has been positive in general.
Jake Lloyd
Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic“The experience I’ve had with the fans is immediately therapeutic,” he said. “For now, it’s still therapeutic. It is useful for people and healthy. It’s not something I would be ashamed of.”
He added that he still has fond memories of his time doing this The Phantom Menace. “I really appreciate the time that was given to us,” Jake said. “I am very grateful.”
Jake’s mother, Lisa Lloydtold Sandell, “Jake is actually getting a lot better than he was. It is a great relief to me and the rest of his family. We are all thrilled that he is doing as well as he is and that he is working really hard at it. We appreciate it.”
Jake was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2016 after a 10-month stint in prison. In early 2024, Lisa had spoken about Jake’s mental health struggles and revealed that he had been admitted to a mental health rehabilitation facility in March 2023 after suffering a psychotic break.
“Jake started having some problems in high school,” Lisa explained in March 2024, recalling the first time she noticed a change in Jake’s personality. He started talking about ‘realities’. He didn’t know if he was in this reality, or another reality. I didn’t know exactly what to say about that.”
After he was accepted into the hospice program, Lisa shared that Jake was “doing a lot better than (she) expected.” She shared, “He’s connecting better with people and becoming a little more social, which is really nice. It’s like bringing back more of the old Jake, because he was always very social until he became schizophrenic.”
Speaking to Sandell in 2024, Jake shared that he loves all things new Star Wars media that has been published in recent years, including new Star Wars: Ahsoka series on Disney+.
