Twenty-five years have passed since the first of the three episodes of the ‘Star Wars’ prequels were released — and even today, ‘The Phantom Menace’ is one of the biggest taboos among the legion of fans of the most famous science fiction franchise of the world. Even though it is debated, the film is not the worst among the many already released, but, in any case, it gave a lot to the fans and the press, who at the time, did not mince words when criticizing the film that would begin to tell the story of Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader. The person who suffered the most from the press attacks ended up being the nine-year-old interpreter of the mini Anakin, Jake Lloyd.
Released between 1977 and 1983, the very first ‘Star Wars’ trilogy introduced the world to the most beloved fictional universe in all of science fiction. It was during this first era that pioneering characters fell in love with the world: Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and, of course, Darth Vader, marked the initial phase of a mythology that would extend to the present day — profiting absurd amounts of money and gaining, with each new generation, more and more fans for themselves.
After the initial success, which changed the course of American cinema, it was time for George Lucas to take a chance on some more projects. It was from this that the prequels, which explain the origin of the Sith Lord, were released, between 1999 and 2005. In the first film, ‘Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace’, we follow Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor ) and his mentor, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) on a journey to seek out and train Anakin Skywalker — promised to defeat the Sith and the growing power of Darth Sidious, becoming a powerful Jedi.
Although most of the ‘Star Wars’ fanbase remembers Anakin as Hayden Christensen, Episode I features him at an even younger age, played by the infant Jake Lloyd.
Unlike the original trilogy, the second phase of the saga was not as well received by critics — and much less by the fan audience. Among experts, no words were spared to discredit George Lucas’ efforts in the new project, since ‘the scope of the first trilogy was so great that he would never be able to repeat it’ (as The Hollywood Reporter said when the film was released). released). But he was not the only one to suffer. Among the press, it was Jake Lloyd’s name that was most talked about; and not in a positive way.
The attack on a nine-year-old child aroused the ire of one of the biggest names in American cinema, and a true veteran of child stardom: director (who once also acted) Ron Howard. The filmmaker is responsible for several successful titles, including the classic with Jim Carrey, ‘The Grinch’, as well as ‘A Beautiful Mind’, ‘Apollo 13’, ‘The Da Vinci Code’ and even the classic that launched Tom Hanks , ‘Splash – A Mermaid in My Life’.
But long before Ron could reinvent himself and embark on a successful career as a director, when he was little, he was one of several child actors who shone in cinema and TV in the 1960s. He participated in the famous sitcom ‘The Andy Griffith Show’, among 1960 and 1968, as well as being in other hits of the 1970s, until he left the camera and decided to go behind it.
With the release of ‘The Phantom Menace’, the industry giant followed live the lynching of a child actor through news portals at the time — which, prompted by negative reviews of the film, began publishing articles that exposed so-called ‘bad behavior’ of the minor. In all these articles, anonymous people were considered the source that confirmed the fact. From the perspective of magazines and newspapers, Lloyd was a bratty, spoiled boy and, above all, a terrible actor. Ron Howard then reached his limit.
The actor-director-former child star wrote a letter to the popular outlet Newsweek, exposing all his opinions on the case. He claimed that he found George Lucas’ new project ‘sarcastic and weak’, but that the biggest problem was actually ‘the chaos directed at a nine-year-old child’, which he described as ‘absolutely irresponsible’.
“School subjects [da Newsweek] cites unnamed sources, who are critical of this nine-year-old. I have no idea how ethical or talented he appeared to be during filming, but I highly doubt these ‘inside sources’ saw any edited version of the new ‘Star Wars’, because in my opinion, Jake looks amazing there.” wrote to the American newspaper that he misjudged an interpretation that none of them had yet verified — “it’s shameful”, the artist concluded in his letter.
“School subjects [do Newsweek] cites unnamed sources, who are critical of this nine-year-old. I have no idea how ethical or talented he appeared to be during filming, but I highly doubt these ‘inside sources’ saw any edited version of the new ‘Star Wars’, because in my opinion, Jake looks amazing there.” wrote to the American newspaper.
He continues, citing his journey as a child actor as his main reason for speaking on the subject: “As someone who has acted professionally since a very early age, I can assure you that nine-year-old Jake has the full ability to read, understand and feel the total humiliation of such a matter.” Ron Howard, the father of star Bryce Dallas Howard (‘The Crossroads’), even directed the recent film in the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’, in 2018.
The star was right: after a few more roles, Jake Lloyd gave up his acting career. Perhaps, due to the pressure of unfriendly reporting, which since his first films, made him think he wasn’t good enough. Older, he was arrested (in 2016, after escaping from the police by driving at high speed), was admitted to a rehabilitation clinic and still suffers the consequences of a life shaken by unregulated mental health.
Even though he hasn’t really appeared in the spotlight anymore, the image that remains of Jake Lloyd is of a man who suffered the worst consequences of fame; another famous victim of the people grinding machine called show business.
Remember the trailer for ‘Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace’, from 1999.
Tags: letter director journalist defense child star Star Wars heavy criticism Shameful Films
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