9 Actors Whose Big Break Movies Almost Ruined Their Careers

4. Jake Lloyd - Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Young Jake Lloyd was handed an incredible opportunity in the late 90s in the role of Anakin Skywalker for Phantom Menace having broken out in Jingle All The Way. It was to be a daunting task, but nobody could have predicted the impact on his life.

As Episode I picked up flack from die-hard fans of the original series, Lloyd's performance was singled out as a problem (along with Ahmed Best's) and the shockwaves affected his personal life so badly he retired from acting later citing bullying.

Did He Survive It?

Unfortunately, Lloyd's big break ended up being his last major movie role, aside from a part in 2005 release Madison, which was shot before his retirement in 2001.

Since then, his personal life has come under scrutiny a number of times but he's left acting behind entirely.