The Phantom Menace Actor Jake Lloyd Gives Rare, Optimistic Update On Mental Health & The Star Wars Franchise

Jake Lloyd, the actor who played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, has given a heartwarming update about his connection to the franchise and his mental health condition. One of the most important aspects of The Phantom Menace‘s complex timeline is the introduction of Anakin Skywalker. When watching the Star Wars movies in chronological order, Jake Lloyd’s Anakin is the first exposure audiences have to the Chosen One of the Force. However, Lloyd’s life since then has been difficult, making his rare update an incredibly important and touching one.

In a Substack post by Clayton Sandell, this update from Lloyd is presented. Sandell was responsible for outlining a somewhat harrowing update from Jake’s mother, Lisa, about Lloyd’s life in 2024 that explored the former actor’s experience living with schizophrenia and the prolonged acting break that came after his appearance in Star Wars. Upon reaching out for another update, Lloyd opted to speak to Sandell directly, providing a positive update about his life and his mental health condition:

“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.”

Thankfully, this comment from Lloyd proves that he has been improving in recent months. This comes after overcoming a clinical neurological condition named anosognosia that causes a patient to be unconsciously in denial about their symptoms. Now, Lloyd can openly talk about living with schizophrenia and insists that hitting “rock bottom” is what was needed in order to fully accept his condition and take steps to overcome it.

Jake Lloyd Is Reconnecting With Star Wars

Beyond his positive mental health update, Jake Lloyd also mentions that he is reconnecting with Star Wars. Lloyd insists that he was always a fan of the franchise and that he largely managed to avoid the brunt of toxic online vitriol that spawned from his performance in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Nonetheless, Lloyd’s connection with Star Wars has been tumultuous, primarily due to living with schizophrenia since his performance in the series.

Thankfully, though, Lloyd’s positive update comes with an equally positive Star Wars reconnection. Lloyd mentions how much he enjoyed Ahsoka, one of Star Wars’ TV shows from 2023. He also mentions his playthrough of games like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. However, more importantly, Lloyd explains how his connection with Star Wars fans has always been positive, describing these meetings as therapeutic and outwardly stating how much he appreciates the support. On May 4, 2025, Lloyd intends to catch up on recent projects from a galaxy far, far away with his mother.

This Is A Heartwarming Start To 2025

As someone who has long kept up with Lloyd’s situation, this update is an incredibly heartwarming start to 2025. I have long been someone who outwardly pushes back against the toxic elements of online fandom, be that connected to the Star Wars franchise or any other. This includes the hatred actors often face for their portrayals of certain roles, from Hayden Christensen – another Anakin Skywalker performer – to people of color like Kelly Marie Tran, Moses Ingram, and Amandla Stenberg. Lloyd certainly faced some of this, but it is refreshing to hear he escaped the brunt of toxicity aimed at him.

While I acknowledge that Lloyd’s situation is somewhat different in that his mental health disorder does not stem entirely from Star Wars and that fans are certainly not to blame for his condition, I have always held the opinion that Lloyd’s performance in The Phantom Menace was maligned solely due to George Lucas’ misfires in directing and screenwriting. As such, I cannot explain how saddened I often am to know of Lloyd’s life since then and the tribulations he has suffered, and I similarly cannot explain how happy I am to hear of his recent upturn.

Star Wars was always meant to be a franchise for everyone. The fact that Lloyd knows he is still part of it and finds such warmth in his interactions with fans is touching, to say the very least. Combined with the steps he is taking to overcome living with schizophrenia, I am overjoyed about Lloyd’s update. Decades on from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Lloyd’s update is rare yet increasingly promising, making for an exceedingly warming start to 2025.

Source: Clayton Sandell on Substack