Star Wars: Jake Lloyd, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill… All victims of a curse?

Like the lightsaber of the famous villain Darth Maul, play in the saga Star Wars seems to be a double-edged sword for the stars who venture there and for their careers. A cult cinematic universe and a must-have in cinema for almost 50 years, Star Wars is still one of the most popular licenses around the world today. It is therefore difficult to refuse to be part of it when you are asked to be part of it as an actor. However, the other side of this coin seems to be very heavy to bear, according to the testimonies of several actors who are members of the saga.

Recently, it was young Jake Lloyd who paid the price. Child star in the 90s, propelled to the top of the poster after his appearance alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film The race for the toyhe is chosen by George Lucas to be the face of Anakin Skywalker as a child in The Phantom Menace, the episode which will relaunch the saga almost 16 years after its initial end. A dream for all the little boys of the time but which will turn into a nightmare for Jake Lloyd.

25 years later, aged 35, the young man is still struggling to find meaning in his life, after having been the victim of numerous criticisms and bullying throughout his youth following his interpretation. Even today, the former child star, who no longer wishes to see a camera, still suffers from mental disorders and has been receiving psychiatric care for 10 months: “ He started talking about realities. He no longer knew the difference between the virtual and the real world. I asked him about his schoolwork. He said, “Do I really need to do all this?” » tells his mother Lisa Lloyd about the youth of her son, who became a star too young according to her, to the American media Scripps Newsrelayed by our colleagues from Figaro.

At 18, things get worse. First diagnosed with bipolar disorder, the young man was ultimately suspected of suffering from schizophrenic-type paranoia by his doctors. A disorder that forces him to live in a rehabilitation center where his situation would improve: “He is becoming more and more sociable” assures his mother.

Star Wars : a curse present from the beginning?

But Jake Lloyd is not the only one concerned. From the beginning of the saga, the original actors expressed their concerns about a possible “curse” around this franchise. A few months before the release of the first opus, Mark Hamill, the interpreter of Luke Skywalker, was first the victim of a serious car accident which disfigured him and limited his acting following facial paralysis . If over the years he finds the means to play, his performance in Star Wars raises him to the rank of star but does not open any doors for him for a long time, confined to this role of space farmer turned Jedi knight.

He finally finds his salvation, away from the cameras but not from the microphones, by becoming the iconic voice of a famous villain, the Joker from Batman. Without hard feelings, he resumed his role as Luke Skywalker, more than 30 years after hanging up the lightsaber, in 2015 in The force awakens. This time the curse leaves him in peace, and Mark Hamill finally seems to have access to roles that match his talent, in cinema and on television.

It’s hard to say the same for Carrie Fisher. Eternal Princess Leïa, the actress promised a great career before joining Star Wars saw her future sink after the saga, never managing to take off at the height of her talent. A misfortune that she herself blames, not without humor, on the princess with “fucking white leather boots” and the hairstyle “ridiculous” who gave him “stolen” his identity as much as it allowed him to make himself known, in a letter written for the attention of his character.

First to raise the hypothesis of a curse Star Wars, she seems to enjoy it until the end by returning the effect. While the saga influences the destiny of the actors, like the final snub of her life, Carrie Fisher, essential to the history of the saga, died on December 27, 2016, while the arc of her character is not yet completed. As a way for her to put things in their place.

Finally, another star with a bright future until Star Wars puts a stop to it, the actor Hayden Christensen. Face of adult Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader under the mask from 2002 to 2005, the young first, aged 42 today, never managed to transform the essay after his participation in the saga. While Luke Skywalker leaves his farm to become a Jedi, Hayden Christensen crosses paths with him in the opposite direction, opening a “sanctuary” farm in Canada from 2007, after having fought his lightsaber fights.

These stars victims of the curse despite success

However, some stars of the saga still managed to have successful careers after their participation. But the curse did not spare them. Harrison Ford, unforgettable Han Solo, notably succeeded in breaking away from his role and multiplying successes, whether with Blade Runner, Indiana Jonesor The fugitive. The curse was much more deceitful with the actor.

Indeed, in 2015, while he found the trappings of his character to The force awakens, Harrison Ford twice misses a date with death. First by narrowly avoiding being crushed by a collapse of the hydraulic door of the Millennium Falcon on the set, then during a crash of a small plane he was piloting, after the engine suddenly failed during the flight. Two events where the actor miraculously escaped each time.

Natalie Portman, the incomparable Queen Amidala of the prelogy, almost, like Carrie Fisher, experienced a similar destiny. No longer able in the eyes of producers to stand out from her role as galactic queen, the actress with undeniable talent had to prove herself again to be considered again among the Hollywood stars, even if it meant shaving her hair. skull for the needs of a role. A daring gamble, but one that paid off, the actress now having an established career and the curse “starwarsian” being only a distant memory.

The younger generation victims of the Star Wars curse

Relaunched in 2015 with The force awakens, The Last JediAnd The Rise of Skywalkerthe saga Star Wars seems to have returned again with its curse, this time affecting the new generation of actors attached to the saga. Among them, the actress Daisy Ridley, the new headliner of the universe as Rey and who apparently did not take advantage of this new craze to make her career in Hollywood take off. A sad observation that we can also make about the career of his on-screen partner, John Boyega, aka Finn.

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Finally, there also remains Alden Ehrenreich, responsible for reprising the role of Han Solo in his youth in a spin-off film and who, following the failure of the feature film, completely deserted Hollywood for more than five years, before returning there through the little door, without success.

Despite this curse which seems to have spared no one within the casting of this saga, the love of these actors for Star Wars seems to stay stronger. Even today, Jake Lloyd remains a big fan of the saga and has followed it diligently. Ahsoka, one of the last series in the universe. Proof that in him, as in the other actors, the Force seems to be with them, forever.

Photo credits: AGENCE / BESTIMAGE