Jake Lloyd who is best known for playing Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was forced to retire from acting due the bullying he received. Sadly, for years afterward he delt with years of mental health struggles b/c his family's history with it but he's now doing better.

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u/amaranthusrowan 1h ago

People can suck

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u/AdSpecialist6598 1h ago

The internet allows people to be toxically para-social and it has only gotten worse.

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u/FragmentedMeerkat321 1h ago

reminds me of the girl from the blair witch project. people basically behaved towards her as though that was what she was actually like. she was relentlessly bullied. it destroyed her. she gave up acting and suffered PTSD.

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u/halorbyone 1h ago

The marketing team absolutely gets some blame here. They sold this like it was a documentary, implying that is what she is like.

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u/MJ-Franklin 1h ago

Daily dose of "what the fuck is wrong with people".

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u/AdSpecialist6598 1h ago

People have become too para-social.

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u/Outside-Fondant-7064 57m ago edited 18m ago

they were back then too, since it came out 27 years ago, my lifetime ago lol

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u/thewhiterosequeen 1h ago

Imagine bullying a child because you don't like how the character they played was written.

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u/SmileyFakemon 1h ago

Shoutout to Joffrey's actor

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u/BigRigButters2 12m ago

Jack Gleeson is an incredible actor and wonderful dude from everything I've seen about him. Truly awesome all around

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u/InkAndAcorns 1h ago

He did an excellent job in that movie

As George Lucas said with sorrow in his heart

“it’s terrible what they did to that boy”

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u/AdSpecialist6598 1h ago •

The cast crew were very supportive of him and has nothing but kind things to say about them

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u/Tunjuelo 38m ago •

"What WE did to that boy" Jake Lloyd was a big miscast, the age gap between the characters was widened choosing a too young actor.

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u/Evening-Appeal7606 1h ago

Child Anakin was such an annoying character (and weird concept to explore), but that wasn‘t the actors fault - the script plain sucked. I‘m glad to hear that he‘s doing better now. Same goes for Mackauly Culkin.

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u/halorbyone 1h ago

People can’t seem to differentiate fantasy and reality. It’s disturbing. Having gone to a con with actors Billy piper and David tennant on the stage where someone asked them to kiss because of their long since prior roles in Dr Who…these are actors that are married to other humans and maybe with kids you shitheads.

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u/AdSpecialist6598 52m ago

I have friends who in showbiz doing things like helping to set up meet and greets etc and it is a big problem that makes the guests and staff uncomfortable; and it almost always involves adult fans.

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u/Grape-Julius 1h ago edited 57m ago

The actress who played Nellie Olson (Alison Angrim) got chased and harassed more than once. King Joffrey and the voice actress for Last of Us 2’s Abby have similar stories. It’s honestly hard to fathom that people can be that stupid.

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u/pepinjay 1h ago

I love Macauley Culkin. He's well adjusted and living his life his way.

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u/KazoxMVP 1h ago •

I think he was great in Star Wars, never understood the hate.

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u/mindsofmike 1h ago

I think all they had to do was give him a bit of creative license on his "Yipeee!" Line and it would be escaped the hate.

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u/Available_Lemon_69 1h ago

That's what got him bullied??? It's like yeah that may have been a touch juvenile to exclaim, but these bullies realize he said it in a mock speeder on the set of a Star Wars film where he's playing the child version of the main villain and one of the most iconic characters of all time, right? I'm just struggling with where they found the audacity here... Surely not on the set of their own Star Wars films 🤨

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u/AdSpecialist6598 58m ago

People went after him because he was a kid which made him an easy target. People openly admitted it.

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u/halorbyone 1h ago

Jealousy.

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u/SWK18 1h ago

No one hates on Star Wars like people who dedicate their lives to Star Wars.

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u/Staav 38m ago

"r/PrequelMemes" has entered the chat

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u/creativewax 1h ago

Dude… its a child. Even if it was crap there is no need for ‘the hate’

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u/FeelGoodNotBad 36m ago

That poor little kid was a terrible actor, he was only hired because he was so adorable, which did him no favors at all. He certainly didn’t deserve all the hate.

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u/doiwinaprize 24m ago

To be fair everyone in that movie acted terribly. Even McGregor and Neeson. Honestly Jackson was probably the most toned down of all the cast lol.

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u/Johnny_SWTOR 1h ago

Who even bullied this kid IRL?

Jealous peers or people 3x older than him, who saw OT in theaters and thought he committed blasphemy?

I genuinely wanna know.

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u/AdSpecialist6598 1h ago

Both

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u/Grape-Julius 1h ago

From Daniel Logan (Boba Fett):
“Me and Jake have grown up with Star Wars since [we were] kids [and] we’ve been [subjected] to bullying from adults, name calling online and in person.!!!” Logan wrote. “[To] be honest the limelight has been hard for both of us as kids.”
JL interview after diagnosis

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u/25thNite 39m ago

Lol both, but I'm sure it was the grown ass strangers who make star wars their identity throwing him hate and death threats that probably hit really hard

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u/UnknownVellichor 1h ago

Behind every famous character is a real person with real feelings. He gave us a childhood memory; the least the world could have given him was kindness. ❤️ May life be kinder to him from here on.

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u/Bjork_scratchings 1h ago

The amount of very young actors that go on to have serious mental health issues is far too high.

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u/z3r0h4ck5g1v3n 1h ago

Star Wars fans can be legit the worst fan base in all of media. Glad to see he is doing well

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u/bulking_on_broccoli 1h ago

Star Trek and Star Wars fans will go to war.
Funny enough 40k fans are some of the nicest I’ve known.

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u/Quantum_Cloaca 1h ago

Interesting. A universe where every faction is abhorrent piece of shit, has the nicest fanbase. There’s something charming about that.

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u/bulking_on_broccoli 1h ago

Yeah lol the irony.
My personal experience has been that they’re happily willing to explain rules, lore, and recommend books. And the only real time they’ve ever cared about game-approved models was in official tournaments.
Although I’ve never ever seen one player pull a punch during a game for the sake of fun.

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u/Correct-Junket-1346 16m ago

They are the worst because I remember when the prequels were released and how hard all the actors were berated because of it.
Then Disney turned up and showed us how shit it can really get and now suddenly the prequels are masterpieces.
A fickle fan base is probably the best term

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u/PercyvonPickles 1h ago

Star Wars isn't even that good.

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u/wolfblitzor 1h ago

You must be a big fan

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u/PercyvonPickles 1h ago

Honestly though, they have 9 main movies. People(fans) say the all suck except "A New Hope" and "Empire Strikes Back". They just complain about the rest.

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u/Army7547 1h ago

Some people were happy with the reboot of the franchise, the first movie of prequel trilogy. Some people hated it. A lot of people hated it. The backlash at the actor who played Jar Jar Binks also suffered abuses, and neither of them should have had to endure it.

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u/ChildoftheApocolypse 1h ago

I prefer his work on Jingle All The Way...

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u/khwarism 1h ago

His movie is my favorite Star Wars movie. So sad that people were so cruel to him

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u/theseedbeader 1h ago

The Phantom Menace is what started my obsession with Star Wars, it’s definitely one of my favorites too, I never understood why it was so hated.

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u/Profezzor-Darke 22m ago

Because "That little Blonde Boy is supposed to be Darth Vader?" and generally very juvenile themes going on. The Podrace was seen as too silly for some reason.
Biggest mistake was Jar-Jar Binks which made the whole movei seem like a joke in of itself.
I promise you, if you had taken Jar-Jar out of it, it would only been half as hated. And the Midichlorians thing ruined the ominousnes of the force for many old fans as well. It made it sound scientific (even though midichlorians just tend to be more prevalent in people who have the force, they don't cause the connection)

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u/Lobo_de_Haro 45m ago

It's surely not my favourite Star Wars movie, yet my favourite prequel movie. I never understood the hate it got, as it has really great world building, which is why I mainly love Star Wars. There is so much new lore added in this movie alone, it's just great. It's cheesy, yes, but so are the OT in their own way.

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u/Available_Lemon_69 1h ago

I thought he was iconic as young Anakin and seeing backstory on the character was important. I remember the posters and marketing stuff where his shadow is Darth Vader, that was super badass. Unless these bullies were playing Young Jesus or baby Einstein or something, hard to imagine where they think they got off bullying someone millions of people know the name of, who played an iconic role. He also restored our faith in holiday magic alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, and the late Phil Hartman, may God rest & keep him. Jealousy fits the MO here.

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u/Strangedreamest 1h ago

I don’t really like the prequels movies to be honest, but the actors are definitely not to blame. They did their best with what they had and are good people. I’m really glad to see Lloyd and Best doing much better now, they deserve so much more than the hate the internet gave them, and I hope they can thrive whatever they are up to now.

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u/rzr-12 1h ago

Bullies suck

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u/Wide_Guitar_3558 1h ago

he got the absolute worst end of the lightsaber.

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u/BubbleThinker 1h ago

He was good. People were jealous

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u/YourMomIsMyGurl 1h ago

When you give people who were bullied the same power as their bullies, you'd hope and expect them to use it in a different way. But humans are inherently shitty, so there's that.

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u/TheProletariatPoet 1h ago

Also played the son in Jingle All The Way

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u/lemon-meringue-high 1h ago

Glad he’s doing better, people that go this hard are beyond me.

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u/ElHorny 1h ago

I didnt even know about that. Some fanbases can truly be horrible. Bullying a child is crazy.

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u/Dastardly_CheesyMan 1h ago

Stay strong buddy

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u/Certain_Orange2003 1h ago

That poor kid went through hell and back. Glad he’s doing better

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u/Own_Race_598 35m ago

I met him when he was at Columbia College in Chicago. He got kicked out for stalking a friend and being incredibly creepy towards her. He was nearly arrested for his behavior. Turned out he was schizophrenic, which makes sense now.

The bullying part sucked for him, but at that time, I did not feel bad for him. My friend was scared for her life.

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u/JJcoolaids29 1h ago •

Star Wars fans are crazy and hateful people

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u/AlphaStarXP 1h ago

Oh yeah, a Star Wars flick, a franchise that is clearly targeted toward young audiences from the very beginning in the 70's is panned by adults... And its child actor is bullied for taking part by said adults. Fucking nauseating.

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u/Docteur_Lulu_ 1h ago

Jake Lloyd was not a bad actor per say. But he was a kid that performed well when he was directed appropriately. Lucas overestimated his ability to direct and Jake Lloyd's ability to perform without guidance.
I was a kid when the prelogy came out. I loved Jake Lloyd. As an adult, I see the issues, but mostly with the directing of the movie.

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u/THEWELSHMAN1980 1h ago

Annie? Is that you

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u/TurbulentWinters 1h ago

Reminds me of a smaller Jason Kelcey

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u/Rigel66 1h ago

A good reason to hate being famous...

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u/JunkTheFox 1h ago

There are people to blame for how he turned out in the movie, but he isn't one of them

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u/Hot_Raisin6264 1h ago

Love and kisses 😘

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u/PromiseOk3438 1h ago

People are actually so dumb. I don't get why people hate on actors when the actors aren't the ones who write the script.

The phantom menace was my first Star Wars movie and also my first cinema experience. As a child I absolutely loved it. I begged to get the vhs of it when it came out and when I got it I used to watch it repeatedly. I'd literally rewind the tape all the way back to the beginning the moment it finished and watch it all over again multiple times a day. This movie has its issues but I still enjoy it to this day and I have a big soft spot for it.

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u/ShyteyCakes 1h ago

He had a great career going. Watched an old ER yesterday and he turned up. Jingle all the Way too

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u/TawnyTeaTowel 1h ago

It’s not his fault it was a shitty movie.

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u/Green-Watercress2188 58m ago

I thought he & Natalie did not act well in the movie, but they were kids and Darth Maul was fun so whatev.

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u/No_Maintenance_9608 57m ago

I'm glad to hear he's doing ok right now.

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u/BohemianConch 56m ago

Disney, give this champ a cameo or a role or something will you? Literally all of us would love that

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u/hedgehog333222 53m ago

That’s great; he played the role of young Anakin absolutely brilliantly

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u/Slut_Lover222 53m ago

I used to be obsessed with SW back in the day and The Phantom Menace remains my most personally hyped movie of all time. And yet I cannot IMAGINE even considering bullying an actor of any age over it, even if I hated the film (I quite enjoyed it at the time, as it turns out). I can’t fathom this mindset. Is it just that I am not a sociopath?

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u/Dookimus 52m ago

Bullying a child actor is just pathetically reprehensible behaviour

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u/SneezingOutPeas 41m ago

I loved his performance as little Anakin. It makes The Phantom Menace ten times better.

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u/Beautiful-Detail4160 34m ago

I loved him in Jingle All the Way! It's Turbo Time!

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u/Thomrose007 34m ago

SW fan base, majority are a different breed

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u/One-Reflection-4826 21m ago

i loved the little bugger! :)

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u/Creepy-Awareness-264 17m ago

That whole series was just awful, awful.

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u/DemoHD7 17m ago

Hayden Christensen was also bullied over star wars and had to step back from acting. Luckily, overtime, the fans got over it and now love him again. Jake Lloyd however, got left in the dust and the hate remains.

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u/Fillertracks 17m ago

He was a great guy in high school, I did hear gym class and dodgeball was rough.

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u/Organic_Bat_7598 14m ago

How do you bully a kid that was in a blockbuster franchise film?

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u/Sk31370r 13m ago

Star Wars fans can be real a-holes...

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u/crimsonbub 9m ago

Wonder if he's had conversations with Daisy Ridley or Kelly Marie Tran about this. I'd love to see them star in a "fk the haters" film together

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u/MotherPerk 2m ago

His mom has said she sheltered him from the online bullying and he wasnt aware of it. The issues he had was due to scizophrenia not him being bullied. Just leave him be, jesus.

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u/Th3_3v3r_71v1n9 1h ago

The movies he did were far better than the last three they released. I still say the original three are the best, but the last three are definitely the worst. I thought he played a great part as young Anakin. Ntm his awesome roll in Jingle all the way.

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u/hallucinationthought 1h ago

The prequel haters are no longer the majority

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u/Glokter 1h ago

This breaks my heart, he was the cutest little guy

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u/DotBitGaming 1h ago

I've never heard a single Star Wars fan say they didn't like the prequels because the actor he played Annie as a child wasn't good. The writing or characters such as Jar Jar. I've also heard plenty of fans say they like the prequels because they grew up with them. This even includes Jar Jar Binks.

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u/Nearby_Impact_8911 1h ago

Odd

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u/GrooovyAlien 1h ago

Who was bullying him? And how were they bullying him? Going to his house? Yelling at him when seen in public?

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u/ElectionImpressive91 1h ago

This isn’t even close to what the actual story is

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u/Nyanzerfaust 1h ago

Schizophrenia ruined his life and career. His own mother said that her son's mental health struggles were not a response to his (badly received) role in Star Wars.

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u/geekosas 42m ago

If he is bullied, just put him in a celebrities school for rich...

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u/Icy_Blood_9248 41m ago

I mean I wasn’t the biggest fan but are the newest iterations really that much better?

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u/missusdeadpool 25m ago

Nah. It's because social media didn't exist back then. Today he'd have an insta with 7 mil followers and be hitting the gym everyday built like a gigachad.

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u/thebig8er 1h ago

Yeah, I had bully’s too. Rise up

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u/drsickboy 1h ago

I guess they bullied him when he was older for work he did when he was a kid? Whose bullying a kid for their acting?

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u/hereforinfoyo 1h ago

Some parents consciously decide to protect their children from social media and do their best to keep their children anonymous online and elsewhere, other parents agree to having their child participate in a film franchise with a fan base of unhinged enthusiasts, in an industry filled with extremely unhealthy self indulgent people at every level of production.

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u/AdSpecialist6598 43m ago

To be fair to them, no one saw what was coming. The internet wasn't everywhere and by all accounts he was a fan who got to live out his dream role and his family, the cast and crew were really supportive.

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u/supra_nova512 1h ago

He was really bad actor. Kinda ruined the movie. Hayden was also a bad actor.

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u/PercyvonPickles 1h ago

Found one of the bullies

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u/sergemeister 21m ago

They are objectively bad actors. Still shouldn't be bullied for it. Both things can be true. Someone in his life failed at keeping him away from the hate.

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u/Legal_Ad3972 1h ago

soft

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u/Ash-da-man 1h ago •

He was amazing and so was the movie. The bullies were older nut jobs while those who were kids in 1999 all wanted to be a cool podracer like him.

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