r/MadeMeSmile 27d ago

This letter from Ron Howard to Newsweek after they grilled 9 year old Jake Lloyd’s performance in The Phantom Menace. Favorite People

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u/LouSputhole94 27d ago edited 26d ago

Those movies are absolute magic to kids of a specific age. Us early 90s/late 80s kids were fucking hyped about these movies and not old enough to get they may not be the greatest, but nostalgia keeps them firmly planted in our hearts. Fuck anyone that decides to do that to anyone, especially a 9 year old kid that is just trying to act. That’s so shitty.

Edit: to clarify, a few people seem to think I meant Star Wars in general connected specifically to the late 80s/early 90s group, I meant the sequels and specifically Phantom Menace. I was just a little kid and had seen the OT with my dad and it was so cool that they were making new ones, Phantom Menace was mind blowing to me as a youngn’.

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u/wildcat- 27d ago

Lat 80's was pretty solidly on the Jar Jar hate train, but I agree with your sentiment. Same with how my nieces absofuckinglutely love Ren in the sequels and I will always respect them for providing a decent role model and lead female figure (sequel issues aside).

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u/[deleted] 27d ago

Rey. Kylo Ren was the bad boy.

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u/I_Like_Purpl3 26d ago

Maybe the nieces just wand to be a wide evil character. You don't know what kind of role model they're looking for.

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u/Mammoth_Slip1499 27d ago

I remember leaving the cinema after watching the original-original film and being so hyped up that I had to force myself not to slam my foot on the accelerator and just go as fast as I possibly could.

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u/Learningisall 26d ago

Ummm, I’m 76, was in my thirties when the galaxy so far, far away came close enough to enjoy, and I still feel the same magic

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u/LouSputhole94 26d ago

Oh, I specifically meant the prequels with that, not Star Wars in general for connecting with that age bracket. The prequels get a lot of hate (some well deserved), but I was 5 years old when Phantom Menace came out and it fucking blew my young little mind, and I wasn’t old enough to get that some of it wasn’t great.