It would be hard to argue that appearing in the “Star Wars” films negatively affected an actor’s life more than Ahmed Best, the actor who played Jar Jar Binks, but Jake Lloyd would be considered by most to be a close second. The child actor had the role of the young Anakin Skywalker in the first movie of the prequel trilogy, “The Phantom Menace,” and he despised the experience.
Lloyd revealed in an interview (via Daily Mail), “My entire school life was really a living hell,” adding, “Other children were really mean to me. They would make the sound of the light saber every time they saw me. It was totally mad.” On top of the cruel treatment from his peers in class, there were other aspects of his near-instant fame that he hated as well, such as being required to give 60 interviews in a single day.
Starring in the film caused Lloyd to lose any desire he ever had to work in the entertainment industry, so he retired at a young age and even got rid of any stuff he owned that was related to the franchise. To stress his deep resentment over the matter and the finality of his decision to never act again, he has also said, “I’ve learned to hate it when the cameras are pointed at me.” It is the sad, but honest truth because, aside from the 2001 drama film, “Madison,” Lloyd never appeared in another movie again (per IMDb).