Clayton Sandell has shared an update on the health of young Anakin Skywalker actor Jake Lloyd, with the star sharing that he is finally feeling “pretty good”, following the schizophrenia diagnosis that largely hijacked his post-Star Wars acting life.
Last March I had a chance to talk with Jake’s mom, Lisa Lloyd, about her son’s reality, which for the last 15 years or so has been dominated by his considerable mental health struggles. In my original story, Lisa— with Jake’s blessing— told a heartbreaking and harrowing tale. It includes a 10-month stint in jail, Jake’s belief that people with “black eyes” were watching him, and a full-blown psychotic break in the middle of a busy Southern California street.
As we roll into a brand new year, however, Jake’s story is looking a lot more hopeful.
I’d always planned to follow up with Jake and his mom to check on his progress. After reaching out last month, I got a call. Lisa told me that Jake wanted to talk with me directly. We ended up chatting a couple days before Christmas.
I learned that a few weeks ago, Jake successfully completed an 18-month stay at an inpatient mental health facility in Southern California. As 2025 begins, he is living at a new rehabilitation center where he’s still receiving treatment but is basically free to come and go as he pleases.
One of the key components of Jake’s recent progress, his mother says, is that he seems to be overcoming a hurdle that for years prevented him from even acknowledging his schizophrenia diagnosis. That hurdle has a clinical name: anosognosia. It’s a neurological condition that causes a patient to be unconsciously in denial about their symptoms.
It meant that Jake couldn’t grasp why it was important to take the medications that were keeping him from hearing voices, occasionally acting erratically, and generally spiraling.
These days, however, he seems to have a newfound sense of acknowledgement when I ask how he’s feeling.
“Pretty good, considering these 20 years of time that have come to an end,” Jake tells me. “I can now accept taking on continued treatment, and therapy, and my meds. Everyone’s been very supportive.”
(His mom is also on the phone and gently reminds Jake it hasn’t quite been 20 years since he was officially diagnosed. Though sometimes, it might feel like it.)
During our conversation, Jake sounds coherent and eager to talk, but sometimes confuses a word or veers off on tangents. His mom says that can happen more often when he’s tired. I ask him to describe how he feels when he’s taking his medication.
“I don’t have the time for feeling volatile,” Jake says. “It is very much a cushion.”
Read the article/interview in full here, and we send Jake our love and hope to see him soon.
