In 1999, 15 years after seeing Darth Vader die in the arms of his son Luke at the end of Return of the Jedi, fans of the Star Wars saga eagerly waited to witness his birth. Directed by George Lucas himself, three new episodes of the famous franchise promised the public to tell the origin of the most popular villain in cinema.
Years before becoming the Dark Lord of the Sith we know, Vader was still a young boy from Tatooine named Anakin Skywalker.
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A world famous character
Given the magnitude of the particularly coveted event, the role of Jedi Apprentice was enough to propel the lucky man into the world of Hollywood for the rest of his career. But, unfortunately, fate decided otherwise for young Anakin’s interpreter.
In fact, it was American actor Jake Lloyd, then about ten years old, who was assigned to portray the prestigious character. Known only for starring in Nick Cassavetes’ Pick Up the Stars and the Christmas comedy The Toy Run with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the young lad set off for Lucas’ galaxy far, far away in the company of Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor (among others). .
If The Phantom Menace experienced a real triumph when it was released in cinemas and became the second biggest success of all time after Titanic, this sudden popularity did not have a positive effect on Jake Lloyd’s daily life, on the contrary.
“They imitated the sound of the lightsaber.”
Indeed, as the young actor stated years later, his role in the Star Wars saga and his new superstar status earned him a lot of bullying from his school friends:
“The other kids were really mean to me.”he said in 2012 Daily Mail.
“They imitated the sound of lights every time they saw me. It was crazy. My whole school was hell and I had to do 60 interviews a day.”
The fact is that after being in the Star Wars saga, Jake Lloyd has practically not set foot on a movie set (except for the 2001 drama Madison with Jim Caviezel).
After trying to study psychology, he got into trouble with the law, getting pulled over for speeding in 2015 and jailed. In 2016, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and placed in a mental institution for a period of time before returning home for respite care.
(Re)discover ‘The Phantom Menace’ Trailer…
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
