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'Star Wars' child actor Jake Lloyd didn't quit acting due to 'Phantom Menace' backlash, had mental breakdown, mom says

Lloyd was young Anakin Skywalker in the derided prequel, but his mother says she shielded him from online hate. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2008 and is recovering after a full mental break last year.

Jake’s mother, Lisa, denies that her son’s decision to quit the profession had anything to do with “The Phantom Menace” being the subject of intense backlash from “Star Wars” fans at the time. His mother said he “started having some trouble in high school,” where he appeared to show early signs of schizophrenia. Lisa revealed to Scripps that he had a mental break last year after he stopped driving a car in the middle of the road and caused a traffic jam.

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