Terminator 2 child star Edward Furlong looks completely different decades after breakthrough role
James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day is iconic in its own right, with Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his titular role and starring alongside the likes of Peacemaker’s Robert Patrick, Linda Hamilton, and Joe Morton.
The thrilling action film, which has a solid 90 percent rating on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, also helped launch the career of Edward Furlong, an American who portrayed John Connor as a child.
Today (2 August), he celebrates his 49th birthday - and he looks totally different to his hayday!
If you’ve never seen Terminator 2, then all you really need to know is that Connor is the 10-year-old child of Sarah Connor (played by Hamilton).
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He may grow up to become somewhat of a messianic figure; however, in his first appearance, Furlong’s character is just a juvenile delinquent living with foster parents while his mother is in a prison hospital.
He later forms a father-son bond with Schwarzenegger’s character, The Terminator, and teaches him the iconic phrase ‘Hasta la vista, baby’. And the rest, they say, is history.
Despite his promising performance, Furlong, now 49, did not appear in any further Terminator films, including the third instalment, Rise of the Machines, in 2003.
Originally cast to reprise the role of Connor, the actor was dropped by the studio due to a highly publicised cocaineoverdose and seizure.
In an interview with Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, Furlong said his binge violated contractual agreements, leading to his cancelation.
Despite not appearing in Terminator 3, the California star continued to act - and currently has two credits in the works, as per IMDB, including The Endless Whispers.
His most recent film credit is the 2024 flick Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep.
Furlong, now sober, has reflected on his life as a child star, telling the Daily Mail in 2022 that a lack of a support system may have contributed to his drug problems.
“When I was younger, I didn’t have too many people looking out for me and I was left to run wild,” he explained.
“I didn’t know how to manage my money. If I was older, I wouldn’t have made so many bad decisions.”
In 2000, he entered rehab for the first time. Six years later, he married fellow actor Rachael Bella, whom he divorced from in 2009, citing irreconcilable differences.
Metro reported that court documents alleged that their then six-year-old son had tested positive for cocaine after he visited him.
After being arrested for domestic battery and being sentenced to 180 days in prison, Furlong eventually got clean at a rehab center in California.
In 2024, he said: “‘It feels great to be back on set and sober too. I didn’t feel hungover when I went to work. There’s other sober people at work which is weird because if you’re not sober, you’re not hanging out with the other sober people. It was cool.”
Terminator 2: Judgement Day returns to cinemas in September to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
Fans in the United States can catch it from August 28. In the UK, Terminator 2 will be available to watch on the big screen from September 4.
Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Film and TV
Ella Scott