Former "Star Wars" actor Jake Lloyd has reportedly been struggling with serious mental health issues for some time now.
The 26-year-old actor- who portrayed Anakin Skywalker, the Jedi who becomes Darth Vader- allegedly attacked his mother a few months ago after taking some time off from his meds.
Lisa, the former actor’s mother, informed TMZ as to how her son came after her at their own Indianapolis home in March; Lloyd was described to be “in a frenzy” as he had been suffering from schizophrenia.
The ‘Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace’ star allegedly yelled at his mother for “ruining” his life as he knocked her down and kicked her a few times.
According to the site, despite the authorities being called and the incident being reported, Lisa made the decision to not press charges.
Although the ‘Phantom Menace’ was released in 1999, Lloyd had quit acting several years later and had been struggling with schizophrenia since he was 19, as pointed out by his mother.
Such news regarding the Lloyd’s mental health issues has surfaced after a camera footage of a high-speed chase showed how the actor drove off “like he was trying to relive his pod-racing glory.”
The video showed the ‘Apollo 11’ actor driving his Nissan at a speed that reportedly went over 100 miles an hour. The incident, which involved the actor crashing through a fence and losing control as he hurtled towards a tree, eventually led to his arrest.
Lloyd has then faced charges including reckless driving, failure to stop and driving without a driver's license, authorities said.
While Lloyd, born Jake Broadbent, is often recognized for his Anakin Sywalker role, his last movie credit had been a decade ago, specifically a small role in the sports drama ‘Madison’ from 2005.
Despite the young Darth Vader running into the hands of authorities lately, his former co-star Ewan McGregor will be happy to reprise his role as Anakin’s mentor and master- Jedi knight Obi-Wan Kenobi.
As his character was gifted in the ways of the Force, the Scottish actor looks forward to the gift of a future film that will shed light onto Obi Wan-Kenobi’s adventures once more.
Disney continues on with its strategy of developing standalone films in between installments of a new trilogy. With this approach, it is likely that McGregor’s notion for a movie that follows his character’s story during Episodes III and IV might be in the works soon.
"I'd be happy to do the story from episodes three where I finish up and Alec Guinness starts," McGregor said.