In 1991, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” was released, a box office success that revolutionized the cine of science fiction and that launched a young Edward Furlong, who at that time was barely 14 years old, to fame.
In the film, the actor played John Connor, the teenager who would eventually become the leader of The Resistance and who, along with the Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger), would become two of the most beloved and iconic characters of the time.
After achieving fame, Furlong aimed to be a Hollywood superstar; however, fate had something very different in store for him. What happened?
Money and world fame overnight
Just like John Connor, Edward Furlong grew up without a father figure. Her mother worked in a youth center and she lived for a time with her uncles, Nancy Tafoya and Sean Furlong, from whom she took his artistic surname, La Nación reported.
One day, Mali Finn, renowned casting director and in charge of choosing the actors for the film “Terminator 2″, saw in the inexperienced Edward the perfect person to play the young John Connor. After a long series of auditions, none of the candidates had convinced her. When she saw little Furlong, I was sure that he should take the role.
Despite his constant mistakes during the audition and the disapproval of the director himself James CameronFinn insisted that Edward had to stay in the movie.
The rest is history: the film became a box office hit that grossed over $520 million. Furlong was nominated for an MTV Award for Best Breakthrough Role and a Saturn Sci-Fi Award for Best Young Actor. In addition, his popularity led him to star in campaigns for Calvin Klein, GAP and participated in a video clip for the band Aerosmith.
He participated in successful films alongside established actors such as Kathy Bates, Walter Matthau, Meryl Streep and Liam Neeson.
Edward became, without thinking, a youth reference that caused a furor wherever he went; however, his fame began to fade as fast as she rose.
Family disputes and a contentious relationship
As his parents and uncles began to fight over his custody and money, Furlong began a scandalous relationship with Jackie Domachis tutor on the set of Terminator who was 13 years older than him and later became his manager.
He had just turned 15 and she 28. Despite the criticism, they were very much in love in public.
After a while, the relationship ended and the actor had become addicted to drugs and alcohol. In 1998, Domac sued Edward for abuse and demanded 15 percent of his earnings during the years he worked for him.
“At the beginning of my career I remember that it was crazy for me. It’s crazy for a little kid to get that much power. Especially if you don’t have parents“He said some time later in a conversation with Forbes.
Since then, his life has spiraled into jail and rehab. He went through several overdoses, hospitalizations and even suicidal thoughts.
In 2006, he married actress Rachel Bella. The relationship ended and she asked for a divorce alleging domestic violence and that her little son had given positive in a cocaine test. In addition, he was in jail several times. He posted bail and agreed to return to rehab to be released.
A new life
The years passed and he stopped appearing publicly. The times he did it was at celebrations, surrounded by alcohol and in a very different state from the 90s.
In 2017, following an order from a judge, Furlong he entered a six-month rehab program to combat his drug addiction. Her stay was extended to a year and since then, the actor has stayed sober and ready to resume his career. Now, he hopes to celebrate his fifth year of sobriety.
“I learned over time that it is easier than I thought it would be. People definitely like me more when I’m sober. My son and I have a beautiful relationship.”, he said during an interview with Daily Mail.
Thus, Furlong left the recording sets to appear at film and pop culture conventions, where he is dedicated to signing autographs and talking regarding Terminator, which, it seems, does not bother him at all.
“Basically my job is to sit on my butt and sign autographs and let people tell me how awesome I am. The fact that he can do that is amazing and wrong at the same time.”, he stated at the time.
back to the set
Edward recently finished filming his first movie in years: Charlie’s Horsefilm directed by Brad Keller and starring Furlong and Casper Van Dien.
Although there are many details regarding it, the actor was enthusiastic regarding being part of a film production: “It feels great to be back on a set and even more so while sober. I really enjoyed it, I love working so we’ll see what happens next”.
He added that he feels good regarding himself as he recently had surgery to replace his teeth, which had been seriously affected by his methamphetamine addiction.
“Things are happening little by little and I just want to return to my life as it was at the beginning”, he added.
