Jake Lloyd of ‘The Phantom Menace’ reveals why he quit acting
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a kid named Jake Lloyd was plucked out of obscurity to star as Anakin Skywalker -- aka the young Darth Vader -- in 1999's "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace."
Unfortunately, the force was not with him, as Lloyd quit acting two years later, before he'd even reached his teen years. In a new interview, the now 23-year-old actor revealed what prompted his exodus from Hollywood.
"Other children were really mean to me," Lloyd said. "They would make the sound of the light saber every time they saw me. It was totally mad."
Lloyd claimed his high school experience after "Star Wars" was "a living hell" and that he destroyed all his Skywalker memorabilia because of it. He also soured on the whole acting thing after being forced to do "up to 60 interviews a day" for George Lucas's prequel.
"I've learned to hate it when the cameras are pointed at me," said Lloyd, whose last role was in the indie drama "Madison" in 2001.
Despite the teasing, Lloyd reprised his role as Anakin for five "Star Wars" video games (the last one being in 2002) and can still be found at the odd comic convention.
Before joining "Phantom Menace," Lloyd had appeared in recurring roles in "ER" and "The Pretender" and starred in "Jingle All the Way" opposite a pre-Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger.
After quitting Hollywood, the former child star enrolled in Columbia College in Chicago where he majored in film and video. Hey, if he ever wants an internship, he always has an in with Lucas.
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