Recently, a new interview came out in Scripps News about Jake Lloyd, who is currently in treatment for struggles with paranoid schizophrenia that has caused him some issues since high school. Jake’s mother, Lisa Lloyd, answered questions about her son and stressed that he loves ‘Star Wars.’
Lloyd, who famously portrayed young Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 “Star Wars” film “The Phantom Menace” started having some issues with “realities” in high school. Those issues later led to problems in college and adulthood, where he thought people were following him or saw people with “black eyes” staring at him.
Here’s what Lisa Lloyd said:
“He missed a lot of classes, and he was telling me that people were following him. He didn’t tell us he was hearing voices at the time. But he was.”
According to the article, “Jake would sometimes mention seeing people with “black eyes” staring at him on the street, and having late-night conversations with “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart through his TV.”
When he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, it put him into deep depression and over time, various things happened that eventually put him in jail for 10 months and later into the hospital where he is now. He will be in for an 18-month treatment plan that his mother said is doing him a lot of good.
“He’s doing much better than I expected. He is relating to people better and becoming a little bit more social, which is really nice. It’s kind of like having more of the old Jake back, because he has always been incredibly social until he became schizophrenic.”
With structured treatment and the right support, individuals with schizophrenia can regain a sense of stability and connection to the world around them. While medication plays a crucial role in managing symptoms like delusions and hallucinations, therapy provides the necessary tools to help patients navigate daily life more effectively.
Through structured sessions, individuals learn coping strategies that allow them to distinguish between reality and intrusive thoughts, reducing distress and improving their ability to engage with others. Programs that incorporate therapy in colorado have shown success in helping patients develop essential life skills, from maintaining routines to rebuilding relationships that may have been strained due to their condition.
These therapeutic interventions create a space where individuals can express their fears and challenges without judgment, helping them regain confidence in their ability to function independently.
Through it all, Jake Lloyd still loves ‘Star Wars’
His mother said that Jake is still a big fan of the franchise and just recently watched “Ahsoka” on Disney+. She said, “He loves all the new ‘Star Wars’ stuff. People think Jake hates ‘Star Wars.’ He loves it.”
After the film came out, there was a lot of backlash from fans over various things, including Lloyds’s acting in the film. Many have thought this led Lloyd to dislike the franchise and possibly even contributed to him leaving acting and his current schizophrenia diagnosis. However, his mother says that this is not the case at all.
“I protected him from the backlash. He was just riding his bike outside, playing with his friends. He didn’t know. He didn’t care. Everybody makes such a big deal about that. And it’s rather annoying to me because Jake was a little kid when that came out, and he didn’t really feel all that stuff because I didn’t let him online.”
She continued, “People say he quit because of ‘Star Wars.’ Well, that’s not true. It didn’t have anything to do with ‘Star Wars.’ It had more to do with our family. And we were going through a divorce. Things were unsettled and kind of rough. And Jake didn’t seem to be having a lot of fun auditioning anymore.”
In regards to the backlash from “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace” leading to his current diagnosis, she brought up that it was in the family on his father’s side and said, “It would have happened anyway. I believe that it was genetic. And his psychiatrist also agrees that Jake was going to become schizophrenic.”
Now, as a lot of actors from the film are celebrating the 25th anniversary and returning to the “Star Wars” universe at Disney+, it’s unclear if Jake Lloyd will get the same opportunity as his mother feels he’s not at a place to do so saying, “Jake loved filming ‘Star Wars.’ He had so much fun. I would love for him to get well enough to be able to do a little bit of something, and I’m sure he would maybe like to do that. He couldn’t at this point, but you never know how much he’s going to improve. So we’ll see.”
I truly wish him well on his journey to controlling his schizophrenia. I do hope that someday he can return, but only if he truly wants to do so and it would make him happy.
What do you think? Comment and let us know!
Source: Scripps News
Pirates & Princesses (TM) (Stylized as PNP) is an independent, opinionated News and Information site focused on Travel, Entertainment, Fashion, the “Geek Girl” Lifestyle, and more. We focus heavily on Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Orlando Resort, and other themed entertainment and travel destinations. Our news staff includes former theme park and entertainment industry employees, journalists and dedicated pop culture and theme park enthusiasts. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of this site, our affiliates or our sponsors.