Here's what the Internet Movie Database has on Jake Lloyd - Young Anakin Skywalker

1/25/99: DIRECTOR RON HOWARD SPEAKS ABOUT JAKE LLOYD:
Reader Nick Woythaler pointed us to something else in the magazine we'd missed -- a letter written to the magazine by director/producer Ron Howard himself. In it, he chides Newsweek for making less-than-favourable comments about Jake Lloyd's acting in TPM. Having recently seen a rough cut of the movie with a few of Lucas's other industry buddies, he says that "Jake is terrific in the film (which, by the way, is truly amazing)."

1/20/99: ET LLOYD INTERVIEW

We have a Quicktime video clip of the Entertainment Tonight interview in our multimedia section. There weren't any spoilers (unless you haven't seen the trailer, perhaps), but it was interesting to watch the boy's personality. I definitely think he can pull off the "touch of evil" this role requires. We haven't heard anything about the E! interview yet. Let us know how it was if you saw it, or especially if you can get us a digitized video clip!

1/19/99: LLOYD ON ET TOMORROW
Looks like a great interview. Lloyd said at one point, "It's going to wipe TITANIC off the boards." Then he had a huge little kid grin on his face. The Force is strong with this one.

1/18/99: SPEILBERG ON LLOYD
JAKE LLOYD
Pint-Size Jedi

To look at him, you'd never guess it-this is the face of evil? In "Star Wars: Episode I," Lloyd, 9, will play Anakin Skywalker, the boy who grows up to be Darth Vader. (The dark side won't beckon until part two.) The prequel is the Los Angeles native's third film. Laying out why he likes his job, Lloyd speaks in giddy italics: "It's
doing the acting, meeting the people, going all over the place ... and the girls go nuts over me." Certain grown-ups go nuts, too, like George Lucas, who's said to adore him. Steven Spielberg calls him "one of the scrappiest and most determined kids I've seen in a film in recent memory." Wait, you mean you've seen the movie? No fair!

2/26/98 - Jake Lloyd was on Access Hollywood last night. Not much was worth reporting. Here's StevePrice's report on what was said:

" I watched a television show last night called 'Access Hollywood' and there was a brief segment on Jake Lloyd and how he beat out 2500 other kids for the role of Anakin Skywalker. Not much to note other than he stated that being outside in Tunisia made his back feel like it was on fire because the temperature was so hot. He said that George Lucas is absolutely the best director he has ever worked with and that he will not be in school during the release of the Episode I because he is going to get mobbed by fans."

That was about it.

6/10/97 - The Official Star Wars Homepage said the following today: "June 9, 1997: We can now confirm that Natalie Portman and Jake Lloyd have been signed for Episode I! Keep watching the casting page for updates. "

5/23/97 - From PEOPLE Magazine Online:

DARTH VADER REBORN

"Jingle All the Way" actor Jake Lloyd, 8, will play Anakin Skywalker, the young Darth Vader, in George Lucas' "Star Wars" prequel, which begins rehearsing in London next month, the Hollywood Reporter has revealed. The child actor joins a cast that already includes Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor. Besides London's Leavesden Studios, the much-anticipated adventure will shoot in Tunisia and Naples, Italy, say sources.

5/20/97 - The following comes from the Hollywood Reporter (and was pointed out to us by Harry Knowles):

Lloyd cast as young Vader

Jake Lloyd, the 8-year-old who starred in "Unhook the Stars" and "Jingle All the Way," has landed the coveted role of Anakin Skywalker, the young Darth Vader, in the "Star Wars" prequel, sources said Monday. Lloyd will join a cast that includes Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman and Ewan McGregor. Lucasfilm, which will produce the new "Star Wars" movie, would not confirm any of these castings and insisted the company is merely in talks with the actors' reps. (Kirk Honeycutt)

Here's what the Internet Movie Database has on him.

Top Lloyd pic by Mike Bastarache