Star Wars fans praise Young Anakin child actor after appearing in rare video thanking them

Jake Lloyd, the young actor who played Anakin in the first Star Wars prequel The Phantom Menace, rarely appears in public, having pulled back from Hollywood shortly after the film was released following extreme bullying.

The actor now though has been widely praised by Star Wars fans after filming a video with his fellow prequel child actor Daniel Logan, who played the young version of Boba Fett in Attack of the Clones before returning for multiple Star Wars projects.

In the Instagram video, seen below, Logan says: “We want to send a special message to each and every one of our Star Wars fans and let you know, thank you so much.”

Lloyd backs this up, saying he ‘really appreciates’ the support he has been receiving, with Logan finally adding: “Thanks for the kind words, Jake loves you.”

The former child actor received a lot of hate and vitriol at the time of The Phantom Menace both at school and in the press, despite being just ten years old, though he was thankfully shielded from much of the press.

In a follow-up post, Logan touched on some of the hate he and Lloyd had previously experienced as child actors in Star Wars.

He said they were subjected to 'bullying from adults name calling online and in person'

He added: "I’m trying to bring Jake back to the SW universe only to get backlash.

"Because of Star Wars we are projected to hate and negativity for the rest of our lives they say it come with the territory but an 8 year old and 13 year old have no idea what that truly means."

However, over the years, the initial hate has largely turned into love and support for a young star, particularly amid a re-examination of the prequels that has developed a cult following.

The newest video has led to an outpouring of love for the former actor after he and his family previously opened up about his mental health struggles.

One popular comment which received 1,000s of likes said: “We the people love Jake Lloyd, hoping for nothing but the best for this young man.”

Another comment said: “Wonderful to see you both! Love to you, Jake!”

The turnaround in fan reaction is incredibly sweet when you consider Lloyd’s recent mental health troubles which his mum opened up about in a 2024 interview.

Lloyd suffered a psychotic break and spent 18 months in inpatient care, but shared in 2025 that he was ‘doing well’ after treatment

Lloyd’s mother Lisa Lloyd said in a 2024 interview that the former actor had been hospitalised in a mental health rehabilitation facility, but she was keen to stress that this was not related to the bullying and pressure he suffered during promotion for The Phantom Menace.

She explained that their family has a history of mental illness and that schizophrenia was genetic, saying that ‘it would have happened anyways’ in an interview with Scripps News.

She added, regarding rumours he quit acting due to the Phantom Menace backlash: “I protected him from the backlash. He was just riding his bike outside, playing with his friends. He didn’t know. He didn’t care.

"Everybody makes such a big deal about that. And it’s rather annoying to me because Jake was a little kid when that came out, and he didn’t really feel all that stuff because I didn’t let him online.”

In multiple interviews, Lloyd has stated that he is ‘not a big fan of cameras anymore’ after he was reportedly made to take part in 60 interviews a day during promotion for the film.

Lloyd meanwhile shared in a 2025 interview with writer and Star Wars super-fan Clayton Sandell that he is doing well, stating that he is able to accept taking on ‘continued treatment, therapy, and meds’, and added: “Everyone’s been really supportive.”

In a more recent update last month though, Sandell said he had caught up with Jake and his mum, explaining that he was 'doing better than ever', adding: "I’m really happy to share, however, that today Jake is doing better than I’ve ever seen him. He’s engaging, curious, and funny.

"We had a great conversation about video games and editing programs—two of his big interests.

"In June, he completed a long-term program that has done wonders for him—helping him stay on track with medication, therapy, and other life skills.

"Progress is measured in days sometimes, but along with his mom, who continues providing extraordinary and unwavering support, there are many reasons to be optimistic about Jake’s future."