Edward Furlong’s first movie was a critically acclaimed box office smash. He was thirteen years old when he became famous overnight for playing a boy who was destined for greatness. At the time, it seemed like great things might have been in Furlong’s future as well. But almost immediately, Furlong went down a dark path of addiction, legal problems and charges of domestic abuse. This once promising young actor is now considered to be a cautionary tale.
What the hell happened?
In 1991, in his movie debut, Furlong played the teenager who was destined to save humanity from the machines in James Cameron’s sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
In the first movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger played a deadly cyborg sent from the future to kill Linda Hamilton, a waitress who would one day give birth to the savior of the human race. In the sequel, Robert Patrick played an updated model that has been sent back in time to kill the future leader, played by Furlong. This time Schwarzenegger played a terminator robot sent back to protect Furlong from a killing machine.
Furlong was only thirteen years old when he was spotted by a casting director while hanging out on the steps of the Pasadena Boys Club. According to Furlong:
They had trouble finding someone in young Hollywood at the time to play John Connor, and I guess they were looking for “normal” kids. This woman came up to me at the Club and asked me if I wanted to be in a movie. She didn’t tell me what kind of movie it was, so I went to the worst possible thing, so I said, “Sorry, I’m not into child porn.” She laughed and said it wasn’t child porn. I went in and kept reading lines, and eventually I got the part!
Furlong was living with his aunt and uncle when he got the news. His mother was going through a difficult time and decided to let her son live with her siblings. When Furlong was cast, Cameron called his uncle and asked “Do you guys know what you’re getting into?” It was a very valid question. It turns out, no one was prepared for what was to follow.
As soon as production began on Terminator 2, Furlong’s relatives got into a heated custody battle. Furlong’s mother fought her siblings to win back custody of her son. Both sides accused the other of not having Furlong’s interests at heart. According to T2 producer, B.J. Rack:
It was extremely upsetting to Edward. Here was this kid who had never been on a movie set, subjected to five months of the most high-profile experience one could imagine, then not knowing who his legal guardians were. But he was okay. I was amazed at his ability to put it behind him and perform.
During the movie’s five-month shooting schedule, Furlong’s voice changed. Most of his dialogue had to be redubbed during post production to hide the fact that Furlong had aged during filming. Cameron chose to use Furlong’s original dialogue for the scene in which John and the Terminator talk about why people cry because he thought Furlong’s young voice sounded more dramatic.
Three months after the release of Terminator 2, the custody battle between Furlong’s mother and her siblings was ended. Furlong remained in the custody of his aunt and uncle. However, the court gave control of Furlong’s estate to L.A. attorney Bruce Ross. Furlong’s aunt and uncle both quit full-time jobs to concentrate on managing their nephew’s career and found themselves strapped for cash. They began battling the lawyer for access to Furlong’s money. According to Furlong’s uncle Sean:
It gets incredibly expensive to keep things looking like Eddie was becoming a star, like having nicer furniture, taking people out to dinner. We did an unbelievable amount of business in the house. Our phone bills were huge because I had to speak to Japan. Eddie really wanted us to travel with him. In 1992 we traveled 34 weeks out of the year.
But Ross argued that Furlong’s aunt and uncle were taking advantage of their nephew’s success. He suggested that only one of them needed to manage the young actor’s career and the other could have continued working full-time. “Their standard of living increased so dramatically that for them to suggest now that it was a financial hardship is outrageously false.”
Following the success of Terminator 2, Furlong was flooded with opportunities. His next starring role was opposite Jeff Bridges in the drama, American Heart. Bridges played an ex-con recently released from prison. Furlong portrayed his teenage son who is desperate for a father. But Bridges is struggling just to stay clean and sober. He’s reluctant to take on a paternal role while he is trying to put his own life back together.
American Heart was based on stories included in director Martin Bell’s 1984 documentary, Streetwise. In Streetwise, Bell followed nine desperate teens living in terrible conditions in Seattle. Several of the teens from the documentary influenced the writing of American Heart, but the central story was based on the relationship between a runaway named Dewayne and his father who was an ex-con.
American Heart received a very limited release topping out at 8 theaters. But it showed that Furlong was a legitimately talented actor able to hold his own on-screen with the likes of Bridges.
Later that year, Furlong starred in the horror sequel, Pet Sematary II.
The original Pet Sematary was a faithful adaptation of Stephen King’s best-selling novel with a screenplay by King himself. It introduced the idea of an Indian burial ground that brings the dead back to life. The sequel had almost no connection to the original movie except for the idea of the burial ground and director Mary Lambert. None of the characters from the first movie were included in the sequel and King was completely uninvolved.
At the start of the movie, Furlong’s character witnesses the accidental death of his mother. Following her death, he and his follow move into the house from the original movie. Furlong befriends a local kid whose dog is killed by his cruel stepfather played by Clancy Brown. Naturally, they resurrect the dead dog at the Pet Sematary. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a movie. This leads to a path of death and zombification followed by more death.
Pet Sematary II isn’t just bad. It’s shockingly bad. The problem is that there is no reason for a sequel to Pet Sematary to exist. The complete story was told in the first movie. You almost have to admire the gonzo lengths the sequel goes to in order to justify its own existence. The movie wasn’t screened for critics. The few critics who made an effort to see it, panned it.
It opened in third place at the box office behind Unforgiven which had been in theaters for a month. Pet Sematary II ended up grossing around $17 million dollars which was less than a third of what the first movie made.
A Home of Our Own starred Kathy Bates as a widow working in a factory trying to support her six kids in 1962. One day, she is fired from the factory for hitting a male co-worker who was groping her. On the same day, her oldest son (played by Furlong) is brought home by the police for stealing change from payphones. So she decides to relocate the family from L.A. to a small town in Idaho.
Most critics dismissed A Home of Our Own as a cliched tear-jerker more suited for a TV movie than big screen treatment. But Roger Ebert gave the movie a three-star review while acknowledging the contrivances: “I was aware that the situation had been carefully crafted out of cliches and stereotypes, and yet the film was able to bring them to life, and Bates and Furlong were believable even when the “tribe” seemed to be posing for Save the Children posters. This is not a great movie, but it has a big heart.”
A Home of Our Own received a limited release during which it grossed just over $1.6 million dollars.
Jacqueline Domac was Furlong’s stand-in on the set of Terminator 2. During filming, the 26-year-old became Furlong’s private tutor. When Furlong was filming A Home of Our Own, Domac was hired to tutor all six of the film’s underage actors. Director Tony Bill walked in on the tutor playfully wrestling on the classroom floor with Furlong (then 15) and another one of the children. After witnessing her behavior, Bill became suspicious of the tutor’s intentions and she was fired from the movie. Furlong’s aunt and uncle claimed they were not aware of any wrong-doings on Domac’s part and they retained her as his private tutor.
When filming was completed, Bill wrote a letter to Furlong’s agent outlining his concerns:
Eddie Furlong didn’t choose the movies, the movies chose him and it has taken a heavy toll. I found it astounding and dismaying that in over eight weeks of shooting, not once did his guardians ask me about his performance, his abilities, or his problems.
Who’s taking care of this kid? At fifteen, he is certainly not. His guardians do just that: guard him from criticism, from hard work, from self-awareness… Be assured that I’m not criticizing Eddie. The deck has been stacked against him and he is truly a victim.
A year and a half after writing the letter to Furlong’s agent, Bill was still worried about the young actor. In an article about Furlong, Bill told Entertainment Weekly that the actor was “clearly on a path to disaster.” When Bill’s letter reached Bruce Ross, the attorney set up a meeting to try to work out a management solution for Furlong’s career. But Furlong didn’t want to make any changes. His aunt and uncle remained in charge.
Furlong stepped into Alicia Silverstone’s territory by making an appearance in the Aerosmith video for the song, Livin’ on the Edge. The video depicted Furlong engaging in a number of questionable if not downright illegal activities. It also includes a teacher hitting on Furlong’s character in class. although in the video, the sexy teacher is eventually revealed to be a cross-dresser.
Like all the singles off the Get a Grip album, Livin’ on the Edge was a hit. The song won a Grammy and the video won Viewer’s Choice at the MTV Video Music Awards.
In 1994, Furlong starred in the horror movie, Brainscan.
Furlong portrayed a high school horror fan who plays a bloody video game only to discover that the murders he commits in the game are happening in real life too. Frank Langella co-starred as a police detective investigating the brutal killings.
The film’s director, John Flynn, was critical of his young star, “Eddie Furlong was a 15-year-old kid who couldn’t act. You had to “slap him awake” every morning. I don’t want to get into knocking people, but I was not a big Eddie Furlong fan.”
Critics panned the horror flick and it flopped at the box office. Brainscan opened in 10th place behind White Fang II which was in its second week in theaters. It grossed just over $4 million dollars.
While Furlong was in Montreal filming Brainscan, things became heated between Furlong and his aunt. Furlong’s aunt was concerned about the amount of time the teenage actor was spending with his much older tutor. Producer Michel Roy said the arguments became disruptive on the set:
Edward was in constant conflict with them. As a result, he had more difficulty performing his work. At one point, the group behind Brainscan, including me, decided the disruption was creating a major problem. I called Bruce Ross and said if they continued to disturb my days, you guys are going to have to pay for it.
Within 48 hours, a court hearing was held to settle the matter of Furlong’s guardianship. Furlong’s aunt and uncle were banished from the set of Brainscan and his mother was reinstated as Furlong’s legal guardian. The court also approved a monthly allowance of $2,500 for Furlong. Shortly thereafter, he moved in with his tutor, Domac. He began supporting her and they began dating openly. Furlong was 16 at the time. Domac was 29.
Ross expressed frustration with the situation, but ultimately said he was helpless to stop it:
He may end up working at McDonald’s and living in a hovel, but he’s not going to go back to his mother because of what is or is not done with his money. If you’re asking, do I approve of the situation as a parent of children myself? The answer is no. Edward knows that. I’m not in a position to stop it.
Furlong’s aunt and uncle didn’t take being cut off lying down. They tried to have Domac charged with statutory rape. But without a complaint from Furlong, nothing came of their efforts. They also wrote the California state bar to have Ross investigated. Meanwhile, Furlong and Domac flew to New York to film Little Odessa. Furlong called his mother from the Los Angeles International Airport to tell her that he was leaving to make the movie without her.
Little Odessa is a drama about a dysfunctional family. Tim Roth starred as a hitman who returns to his boyhood home in Brighton Beach. His mother, played by Vanessa Redgrave, is terminally ill. Furlong played his younger brother who looks up to him. Maximilian Schell played the patriarch of the family and Moira Kelly played Roth’s girlfriend.
Reviews were mostly negative. Roger Ebert gave Little Odessa a mixed review noting that the crime story got in the way of the family drama. It was well received at the Venice Film Festival, but only received a limited release in the US where it grossed just over $1 million dollars.
Little Odessa was the first movie Furlong made without any family members present on the set. According to director James Grey, the absence of family resulted in an absence of drama:
It was a delight to work with him. He was always emotionally present. I think he’s a very accomplished actor… At 16, he’s been forced into adulthood, and he’s handling it better than I would have.
Grey also approved of the 16 year-old actor’s 29 year-old girlfriend:
I had my doubts at first, but I think she’s good for him. She’s a stabilizing force and she cares for the guy. After a while, who can quibble with that?
Well, she was an adult woman having sex with a minor. If that’s a quibble, then I feel comfortable quibbling. Domac commented on the fuzzy nature of their relationship:
I help Eddie with managerial things. I want to be clear: I don’t work for him. There’s no money involved. I just help out. That gets messed up in the press sometimes.
Furlong’s next step was to file for legal emancipation which he was granted at the age of 16. His relationship with Domac was no longer a secret. He told Interview magazine, “I think it’s damn cool that I got a 29-year-old. But in terms of the generation thing, me and Jackie always sit down and talk about this. It’s such a fragile subject, but at the same time you really can’t help it when you love somebody”.
In 1995, Domac was arrested by the LAPD following a domestic dispute with Furlong. According to the police report, Domac “became combative and began yelling profanities … and began kicking and grabbing at officers.” Domac suffered a broken finger in the dispute and filed a false-arrest lawsuit against the LAPD. Three years later, the city offered Domac a settlement of $150,000.
In 1996, Furlong starred opposite Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep in the drama, Before and After. Furlong played a teenager who has been accused of murdering his girlfriend. Neeson and Streep played his parents who are well-respected members of the community. They find themselves ostracized by their neighbors who mostly assume that Furlong is guilty of murder.
Reviews were mostly negative. Roger Ebert called the movie “a long, slow slog through a story about a family crisis that is largely the fault of the family itself.” Before and After opened in seventh place at the box office behind City Hall which was in its second week in theaters.
Later that year, Furlong appeared as part of an ensemble in the Southern-fried comedy-drama, The Grass Harp based on the novella by Truman Capote. Furlong played an orphan sent to live with his eccentric aunts in Alabama in the 40’s. Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie played the aunts who have very different demeanors. The supporting cast included Nell Carter, Walter Matthau, Roddy McDowall, Jack Lemmon, Mary Steenburgen and Sean Patrick Flanery. The Grass Harp was directed by Matthau’s son, Charles Matthau which probably helps explain the number of Hollywood luminaries in the cast.
Overall, reviews were mixed. Most critics praised the performances by the star-studded cast but felt the movie was unspectacular. The Grass Harp received a limited release in theaters during which it grossed about half a million dollars.
This seems like as good a place as any to pause and take an assessment of Furlong’s career to this point. His first movie was a runaway smash at the box office. Since Terminator 2, however, he had appeared in indie dramas most people never had a chance to see and cheesy low-budget horror movies. The dramas gave him the opportunity to work with and learn from some talented actors. But as far as most audiences were concerned, Furlong had disappeared five years after making his debut in T2.
At this point, Furlong’s career needed the kind of boost another Terminator film could give him. So it was good news that he returned to the uber-successful franchise along with co-stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and director James Cameron. Unfortunately, it was for a theme park attraction instead of a movie.
Cameron teamed with Universal to create a Terminator-themed attraction at their theme parks. The 3-D movie included in-house effects, live performers and of course 3-D. The show still ran in various Universal theme parks for sixteen years with the Florida version finally closing in 2017.
In 1998, Furlong starred in John Waters comedy, Pecker.
Furlong played a teenager struggling with instant fame when his photographs of family and friends become trendy in the art world. Christina Ricci played his girlfriend who runs a laundromat and Lili Taylor played the art dealer who discovers Furlong’s work.
Reviews were mostly negative. Roger Ebert wrote “Some scenes are so flat we squint a little at the screen, trying to see why anyone thought they might be funny.” Pecker received a limited release topping out at 184 theaters. It grossed just over $2 million dollars on a six million dollar budget.
Later that year, Furlong co-starred opposite Edward Norton in the drama, American History X. Norton played a neo-Nazi who goes to jail for committing a terrible hate crime. When he is eventually released, he is horrified to find that his younger brother (played by Furlong) has fallen in with the same group of white supremacists that lead him astray.
To prepare for the movie, both Norton and Furlong shaved their heads. Norton also gained 30 lbs of muscle. The movie was filmed in 1997, but faced problems in the editing and post-production stages. Strap in, cause this is where things start to get bumpy.
Director Tony Kaye handed in his first cut of the film which both Norton and New Line loved. But Kaye wasn’t happy with it, so he went back and edited a shorter cut of the film. New Line and Norton found the cuts too extreme. So Norton, with New Line’s permission, edited a third cut of the films.
Kaye was furious. He took out ads in Variety denouncing Norton’s cut. He claimed that Norton was trying to beef up his own screen time. New Line liked Norton’s version of the film but allowed Kaye to attempt to edit the film one more time. When it came time for Kaye to present his director’s cut, Kaye showed up empty-handed. Instead, he arrived with a priest, a rabbi, and a monk to support his argument and “make the meeting a more spiritual one”.
The studio had had it with Kaye at this point. They decided to go ahead and release Norton’s version of the film. Kaye responded by trying to have his name removed from the credits. But the Directors’ Guild of America rules state that director’s can only have their name removed from a film if they do not openly discus why they have elected to do so. Kaye had violated that rule with his Variety ads, so he was not allowed to remove his name from the credits. When that failed, Kaye filed a law suit against New Line.
Despite positive reviews, American History X was not a hit at the box office. In a limited release, the movie grossed almost $7 million dollars on a $20 million dollar budget. Over time, American History X has achieved cult status on video and cable.
In 1998, Furlong and Domac split up. The following year, Domac filed a lawsuit against Furlong. She accused him of assault and failing to pay her for her services as his manager. She demanded 15% of Furlong’s earnings for the last two or three years they spent together. In 2006, Furlong told People Magazine that his relationship with Domac was a mistake:
If I could push rewind on that relationship, I would. And delete. The problem is, nobody told me it wasn’t good for me.
In Detroit Rock City, Furlong played a teenager in a KISS cover band in 1978. He and his band-mates go on a road trip from Cleveland to Detroit to see KISS in concert. High jinks and coming-of-age drama ensue. Along the way, the boys run afoul of some disco fans. Natasha Lyonne played one of their girlfriends who decides she’d rather hang out with a KISS cover band than a couple of BeeGees fans.
Detroit Rock City was panned by critics and flopped at the box office. It opened in 13th place behind American Pie which had been in theaters for six weeks. The final gross was just over $4 million dollars on a budget of $34 million.
While filming Detroit Rock City in Toronto, Furlong started dating co-star Lyonne. Lyonne was a rising star at the time having starred in Slums of Beverly Hills and co-starred in American Pie. But she had a reputation for erratic behavior and substance abuse. Together, Furlong and Lyonne became involved in the hard-partying Hollywood lifestyle. Both actors would go on to have high profile run-ins with the law and substance abuse issues.
The relationship didn’t last long. According to Furlong, the break-up was amicable:
I still love Natasha dearly. We’re still good friends. She lived in New York, I lived in L.A., and we tired of going back and forth.
But Furlong’s hard-partying ways continued. After he split up with Lyonne, he began seeing hotel heiress and reality TV star Paris Hilton. Life in the fast lane took its toll. According to Furlong, he was on and off hard drugs ever since he was 22 years old:
I was a nice little kid. Hollywood f——me up, man!Lots of money and lots of free coke will turn anybody into a cokehead, I was a heroin and cocaine addict. It was really scary.
In 2000, Furlong starred opposite Willem Dafoe in Steve Buscemi’s prison drama, Animal Factory. Furlong played a young man who is sent to prison after being convicted on charges of drug possession. Dafoe portrayed a hardened con who takes Furlong under his wing after saving him from an attempted prison rape. The supporting cast included Danny Trejo, John Heard, Mickey Rourke and Tom Arnold.
Animal Factory was based on a novel of the same name written by Edward Bunker. Bunker was sent to prison at a young age. While he was serving time in prison, he started writing. When he got out of prison, he continued writing and also dabbled in acting. He played Mr. Blue in Reservoir Dogs which co-starred Buscemi, the director of Animal Factory.
In 2001, Furlong starred in the Italian historical drama, The Knights of the Quest (I cavalieri che fecero l’impresa). The movie was about five young knights on a journey to Thebes to recover the Sacred Shroud and deliver it back to the royal family in France.
By this point, Furlong’s career had taken a backseat to drugs and partying. In April, Furlong was taken to the hospital for a drug overdose. According to party-goers at the scene, Furlong was at the Whiskey A Go Go on Sunset Boulevard to catch a performance by the band Deadsy. His ex-girlfriend, Paris Hilton, was also there. But the two didn’t interact because Hilton was practicing sobriety at the time and Furlong was relapsing. Furlong’s date that night found the actor lying in a pool of his own vomit. Furlong was taken to Cedars-Sinai for treatment.
In September of 2001, Furlong ran into trouble with the police twice in one night. Recently out of rehab, Furlong was pulled over in West Hollywood for driving without a license. Even though his car was impounded, Furlong was arrested four hours later and charged with driving under the influence after getting into a traffic accident on the Sunset Strip.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. Furlong was expected to reprise his role as John Connor in the long-awaited sequel Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Filming was scheduled to start in early 2002. But with all of Furlong’s bad press, the decision was made to recast the role. According to Furlong:
It just wasn’t the time. I was going through my own thing at the point in my life – whatever, it just wasn’t meant to be.
Furlong said he never saw the third Terminator but he heard “it wasn’t very good.”
Instead of starring in Terminator 3, Furlong was stuck in the direct-to video thriller, Three Blind Mice. He played a computer programmer who watches helplessly as one of his internet friends is murdered. When he tries to call the police for help, he realizes he has no idea what her real name or physical address is.
In 2004, was arrested again. He was in Florence, KY filming Jimmy & Judy when he and some friends decided to go on a late night grocery run. Furlong and his friends attempted to free live lobsters from the supermarket’s display case. When employees asked them to stop, they “began to argue with management,” according to the police report. When the police arrived, they described Furlong as slurring his words and that he seemed “unsteady on his feet and [had] the smell of alcoholic beverage on his breath.” Police ordered Furlong to turn around so he could be frisked. Instead, he began twirling around in circles.
Furlong was booked with a misdemeanor count of public intoxication and spent three hours in jail before being bailed out by the movie’s director. A few months later, Furlong commented on the incident:
Lobsters are people too. Lobsters, they are great spirits and they need to roam free. I know it was a bad idea. And, of course, you read it everywhere afterward and you get to the set and people are like, ‘Hey, Lobster Boy!’ All I did was free their little claws, man. They wanted to be free.
In 2005, Furlong starred in a string of direct-to-video movies. In Venice Undercover, Furlong played a young police cadet an an anti-drug task force. When one of the team is killed, the rest of them are given 48 hours to avenge their fallen teammate and prevent a drug war.
Furlong starred opposite Amber Benson and former yellow Power Ranger, Cerina Vincent, in the Asylum horror film, Intermedio. The movie was about a group of teens who get trapped in a tunnel under the Mexican border. They have to team up with a group of drug-runners in order to escape a warlock who summons ghost-like creatures to kill them. Furlong was in his mid-twenties and still playing a teen.
Next up was the fourth and currently final film in the Crow franchise, The Crow: Wicked Prayer. Furlong played an ex-con who is murdered by a pair of Satanists played by David Boreanaz and Tara Reid. Since this is a sequel to The Crow, Furlong comes back from the dead as a leather-clad Goth with a vengeance. He tracks down the leader of the Satanic cult played by Dennis Hopper.
The Crow: Wicked Prayer was filmed in 2003 but sat on a shelf until it was released to video two years later. Furlong was bummed the movie never got a full theatrical release:
I feel through word of mouth people will find it. There’s a huge base for Crow fans. Just from what I’ve seen on the Internet, people are really excited about it. Personally, I say it’s the best one since the first one.
Rotten Tomatoes disagrees. While none of the Crow sequels are highly rated, Wicked Prayer has the lowest score of the series. Currently it holds a rare 0% approval.
In the horror-comedy, Cruel World, Furlong played a loser on a Bachelorette-like TV show. After being eliminated from the show by Jaime Pressly, who loses it and stages his own reality show where contestants are killed instead of being sent home.
2006 was another year of direct-to video releases. Jimmy and Judy, the movie Furlong was filming when he went on his lobster-freeing spree, was finally released. Furlong played a mental patient who video tapes everything. He attracts the attention of a teen played by Rachel Bella. They end up on a Bonnie-and-Clyde style road trip of rebellion.
Furlong and Bella got married later that year. Five months after that, Bella gave birth to the couple’s son, Ethan. For a time, Furlong seemed to have put his past behind him. He was clean and sober and enjoying fatherhood:
I realized I was kind of turning into an E! True Hollywood Story. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. These days, I don’t even think about partying anymore. It seems lonely now: running and clubbing and doing coke. I have nightmares about doing hard drugs. I’ll wake up and I’m like, ‘Did I relapse?’
In The Visitation, Furlong played a mysterious stranger who arrives at the small town of Antioch claiming to be Jesus. Martin Donovan played a priest who has lost his faith. Kelly Lynch co-starred as a car crash survivor who helps Donovan investigate the potentially sinister stranger and his alleged miracles.
The Covenant: Brotherhood of Evil (also known as Canes) was another schlocky horror movie. In this one, Furlong played a successful PR executive who is blinded by an attack on the street. Michael Madsen co-starred as a doctor who offers to restore his sight at the cost of his soul.
Rounding out the Furlong’s direct-to-video releases for the year, he starred in Warriors of Terra about a group of animal rights activists who break into a bio-tech company only to be hunted by a genetic experiment they released. You would think Furlong would have learned a lesson from his lobster incident.
In what was certainly Furlong’s most high-profile project in years, he had a two-episode guest spot on the TV crime drama, CSI: New York. Furlong played a serial killer who set out to avenge the death of his brother who he believed was unjustly convicted of murder. His character themed his killings to a series of trendy t-shirts and was therefore known as the t-shirt killer. Furlong’s character would return to the show for three more episodes in 2010.
Living & Dying was a direct-to video crime drama starring Furlong, Michael Madsen, Arnold Vosloo and Bai Ling. Furlong played a bank robber whose gang hides out in a diner to avoid the police. But the diner is taken over by a couple of gun-toting psychos who take everyone hostage including the bank robbers.
In 2008, Furlong starred in the direct-to-video thriller, Dark Reel. He played a horror movie fan who moves to LA to be closer to his ex-girlfriend. It seems like his luck has turned around when he wins a walk-on role in a cheesy horror movie called Pirate Wench. But then someone starts killing off members of the cast. On the upside, Furlong’s character’s part keeps getting larger as the cast gets smaller. Lance Henriksen co-starred.
Rock bottom is a relative thing. Usually, when a Uwe Boll movie shows up in a WTHH article, it signifies the subject’s lowest point. But in Furlong’s case, here we are. Furlong is starring in Uwe Boll’s prison drama, Stoic, and it’s not even the worst thing that happened to him that year. Hell, it’s not even the ONLY Uwe Boll movie Furlong starred in that year.
Furlong also popped up in a remake of the 1988 cult movie, Night of the Demons. Shannon Elizabeth and Monica Keena co-starred in the horror remake about a group of kids who fight demons at a haunted Halloween Party. We’ll be seeing more of Keena as the article continues.
Furlong joined Billy Zane and Terminator 3 villain Kristanna Loken for Uwe Boll’s war drama, Attack on Darfur. They played journalists from the West who visit a small village in western Sudan. When they learn that the village faces a massacre, they have to decide whether to leave and report on the atrocities they have witnessed or to stay and try to help the villagers survive the attack. It’s a heavy topic for a director known primarily for his adaptations of video games.
In July of 2009, Furlong’s wife filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences. In September, Bella filed a restraining order against Furlong after he allegedly punched her in the face in a drug-fueled rage. According to Bella, Furlong ended up “in lockdown after threatening suicide.”
The injunction was overturned by the court when Furlong’s representatives promised to get the actor into counseling and have him drug tested.
The drama and direct-to-video movies continued into 2010. In Kingshighway, Furlong played a hotheaded mafia henchman who has a thing for the don’s daughter. When she starts seeing a young man, Furlong gets jealous. Burt Young and Eric Roberts co-starred.
Furlong also appeared in the horror flick The Somnambulist.
Most people were completely unaware of Furlong’s movie roles. But his acrimonious divorce was becoming a public spectacle. Furlong’s soon-to-be-ex-wife got a second restraining order against him when he started leaving Mel Gibson-like voice messages. The court documents included several profane messages in which Furlong threatened Bella’s new boyfriend:
If he dares hang out with f–king Ethan, I swear to God I’m gonna f–king rip his f–king heart and f–king feed it to him you understand me?
Bella said Furlong “grabbed me, bruised me, pushed me, made threats of more violence, left messages saying he would hire people to come and beat me with chains and bats.” She further claimed that Furlong threatened to cut off all financial support.
The court papers also described incidents in which Bella claimed Furlong was abusive toward their son. She alleged that Furlong once pulled down their son’s pants in front of relatives as a form of punishment and that he “admitted to me that he hit Ethan in his testicles to teach him a lesson.”
Later that year, Furlong violated the terms of the restraining order. He plead no contest and was put on probation.
In 2011, Furlong landed a small role in a mainstream movie. The Green Hornet starred Seth Rogen, Christoph Waltz and Cameron Diaz. Furlong appeared briefly as a meth producer. Critics panned the superhero flick and despite a first place opening, it was a box office disappointment.
But realistically, none of that matters. The important thing from Furlong’s perspective was that he was in a movie that was actually being seen by people. The Green Hornet could have been a turning point for the actor. No, there was no way a bit part in a disappointing superhero movie was going to restore Furlong’s once promising career. But it could have lead to more steady work in mainstream movies.
Instead, the day after taking Monica Keena as his date to the Green Hornet premiere, Furlong reported for a progress report regarding his probation. Furlong admitted that he once again violated the terms of his ex-wife’s restraining order. The judge had Furlong locked up on bail of $75,000. Furlong posted bail and was released shortly thereafter.
The next day, Furlong appeared in court again before a different judge. This time, he admitted to falling behind in child support payments and claimed to be flat broke. According to Furlong, he was strapped for cash because he was giving 10% of his earnings to lawyer, publicist and manager. Meanwhile, Bella was pushing the court to raise Furlong’s payments.
Furlong was supposed to fly to Mexico to promote the apocalyptic satire, This is Not a Movie. But he ended up canceling the trip. Furlong also appeared in a string of direct-to video releases like Below Zero and Absolute Killers. Furlong’s financial problems more or less required him to accept any paying job that was offered to him at this point.
We’ve reached a point where these direct-to video movies are just blurring together. Every year, Furlong pops up in a handful of cheesy thrillers, slasher films and zombie flicks. Rather than catalog them all, I’m going to focus on the legal issues which have been dominating Furlong’s career these last several years. Going forward, just assume that Furlong is continuing to churn out direct-to-video schlock at a steady pace.
I mentioned before that we would see more of Furlong’s Night of the Demon co-star, Monica Keena. They were first seen as a couple at the 2011 premiere of The Green Hornet. It didn’t take long for their relationship to sour. The following year, Furlong was arrested after an incident of domestic abuse at the Los Angeles International Airport. The airport police issued a statement:
On Oct. 30, 2012 at approximately 12:40 a.m., Los Angeles Airport Police officers responded to a call regarding a possible domestic violence investigation at Terminal 2 on the arrivals level
Less than a month later, Keena accused Furlong of further abuse. According to court documents, Keena claimed Furlong inflicted “corporal injury resulting in a traumatic condition.”
In December, Furlong’s ex-wife accused him of exposing their six-year-old son to cocaine. After spending time with his father, Furlong’s son tested positive for the drug. Bella was granted a court order prohibiting Furlong from being alone with their child. Furlong denied the charges and claimed that Bella was trying to alienate him from his son and destroy his career.
In January 2013, Furlong was arrested once again on domestic violence charges. The LA County Sheriff was called to Furlong’s home to break-up another fight with Keena. He was charged with misdemeanor battery for shoving his girlfriend. Furlong’s lawyer issued a statement:
While Mr. Furlong has a public record of minor run-ins with law enforcement there is absolutely nothing either in my own dealings with him, or in his history to suggest that Mr. Furlong is violent or physically abusive in any way. At this stage in the proceedings, these remain accusations from an unknown accuser.
Furlong’s legal problems resulted in him being fired from the movie, Other Plans. Joe Eckardt issued a statement regarding the firing:
I feel very bad for Eddie, he needs help right now to get him through this time of his life, and we wish him well, but our production has suffered way too long waiting for him to be clear of all his legal issues. It’s time to move on now and make our film without him.
In March of 2013, Furlong was sentenced to six months in jail for violating his probation. Furlong’s lawyer claimed that he had arranged a deal in which Furlong could have avoided jail time by checking into rehab:
Sadly, Mr. Furlong rejected all proposals to get into drug rehabilitation, and the Court, ultimately decided that it was forced to sentence to him a hefty amount of jail time. We are hopeful that Mr. Furlong uses this experience, unpleasant as it may be, to revisit the issue of Rehab when he is released.
Almost as soon as Furlong was released, he was back in trouble again. Keena had filed a protection order against Furlong which he violated in May. Police found him hiding on an adjacent property.
In July, Furlong cut a deal with prosecutors to avoid serving additional jail time. He pleaded no contest to an amended felony charge of willful infliction of corporal injury on a cohabitant or spouse; in exchange, six other charges pending against him were dropped. He was sentenced to 61 days in jail, but was credited for time served.
In exchange, Furlong was given five years of probation and ordered to attend 90 days of a drug-treatment program and complete 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling.
So, what the hell happened?
Way back at the beginning of Furlong’s career, director Tony Bill recognized that Furlong was on a path to disaster. Looking back at his childhood, the guy didn’t stand a chance. The odds were already stacked against him when he was a kid from a broken home being raised by relatives. But then Hollywood came along and made everything a thousand times worse.
Suddenly, everyone wanted a piece of Furlong. Or at least control of his money. People who should have been looking out for his best interests were squabbling over him. And no one was protecting him when a grown woman 16 years older than him began a sexual relationship with a minor.
Jacqueline Domac was never charged with any crimes, but by her own admission she was romantically involved with an underage boy. At a formative age, she isolated Furlong from his family and took control of his career and his finances.
And yet, somehow things got worse for Furlong after their relationship ended. He was set adrift in the Hollywood party scene. Drugs were abundant and he became an addict. His once promising career fell apart and Furlong was left starring in one low budget movie after another. Eventually, his personal problems completely eclipsed everything else and he started getting fired from even direct-to-video movies.
In 2013, Furlong appears to have hit rock bottom. He’s managed to stay out of trouble since cutting his deal to stay out of prison. And he’s acting again even though you’re unlikely to have heard of any of the projects he’s working on. Hopefully Furlong has found a way to put the pieces of his life back together.
Wow. That was one of the more depressing reads in the series. It seems like everyone failed him from the start. Why was he taken from his mother? I remember having a huge crush on him, but drugs have completely ruined his looks. Why didn’t anyone take him from his family? Corey Haim lived with Robert Downey Jr for a while, and it was obvious for years that Furlong would have problems. There were just SO many signs early on that it’s incredible to think that he didn’t get help. Has he ever gone to rehab? He sounds like a… Read more »
When I started researching his story, I got really depressed. I knew there was going to be a lot of drug abuse. I remembered that his family squabbled. So I was expecting the article to be a sad one. What I didn’t know about at first was that Furlong was the victim of statutory rape. That was the detail that put it over the top for me. It was a tough article to write. The details as to how Furlong ended up in the custody of his aunt and uncle are unclear. She was a single mom and was “going… Read more »
I do wonder if Edward Furlong was a victim of childhood (like sexual for example) abuse? I hate to make excuses for his behavior but he kind of made me think of what happened w/ Corey Haim, another child star, who’s career derailed due to substance abuse issues.
I consider what happened with Domac to be sexual abuse. Who knows what was allowed to happen before that.
I think the aunt and uncle, out of everyone else in his family, had his best interests at heart. Usually, with children in terrible situations, as long as they have at least one loving adult who mentors them, they’ll be resilient and rise above their situation. He didn’t have that growing up, and the closest person he had was Dumac, who misused his trust and abused him no matter what the age difference was. If the genders were reversed, there would have been a public outcry and the man would be in jail. Having her in his life gave him… Read more »
Totally agree about male sexual abuse. Domac was a pretty girl and of course he wanted to be with her. She got to be his lover and surrogate parental figure. He didn’t know love and she gave him a form of it he wasn’t ready for. That’s appealing, but not healthy. I give the aunt and uncle credit for meaning well. Incidentally, they were not a married couple. They were Furlong’s mother’s siblings who lived together. So it was a very unconventional family structure. I think Furlong was more or less crashing on their couch before he was discovered. I… Read more »
I wish he would have stayed with his aunt and uncle, and listened to them that dating Domac was no good.. but what can you do when your teen doesn’t listen, has money (to hire lawyers), and star power.. and essentially ‘runs away from home to be with someone…’ In the early days when his fame was just beginning and he was traveling with is aunt and uncle, he seemed like such a good kid before falling in with the wrong crowd, drugs and alcohol. The vices of the world definitely got to him. 🙁
I don’t want to give the impression that I hold his aunt and uncle blameless in what happened. There was lots of blame to go around. They should have been more engaged and realized earlier what was going on. Their own self-interests almost certainly got the better of them. On some level, everyone around Furlong failed him as a child.
The double standard there is no joke. It’s been well documented for decades that when Madonna was in her mid 20s she used to cruise the lower east side of Manhattan in her limo and pick up young Puerto Rican boys for quickies. No scandal though.
Re: Name A Celeb The Industry Built Up, Pimped Out & Destroyed
http://www.lipstickalley.com/showthread.php/1199428-Name-A-Celeb-The-Industry-Built-Up-Pimped-Out-amp-Destroyed?p=31421071&viewfull=1#post31421071
Damn y’all got some good ones. Most of these are bound to have self-inflicted destruction or inevitable mental illness, but these things are almost always exacerbated by the Hollywood machine, enablers, and yes-men.
Eddie Furlong – he is a terrible actor and a domestic abuser. Speaking of:
Monica Keena – she was on that J. Love Hewitt/Neve Campbell track, and everything went to hell for her around the time she started dating Furlong.
I always knew when the Furlong piece would pop up, but I never would’ve gotten that based on the Terminator Face Palm picture being posted yesterday.
Yeah, that was a super secret tease. I like to keep folks guessing.
I saw the John Connor curse theory on line a lot while I was researching this article. Nick Stahl who replaced Furlong in T3 ended up getting into legal trouble too. Apparently the kid who played John Connor on the TV show also had some issues.
Has Loken done anything that would merit a write-up? After T3 she was starring in Bloodrayne. It would make for a quick write-up!
I wonder if Christian Bale also falls under the “John Connor curse”, since the first thing that comes to our minds regarding his association w/ the “Terminator” franchise is that infamous blow-up that he had on the set of “Salvation”? Nikki Cox (who incidentally, appeared on the WB sitcom “Unhappily Ever After” w/ Kristanna Loken back in the ’90s) could also be subject to the “Terminator” curse. In case, you’re wondering, she had a very small part in the second movie. She played a girl on the street that Robert Patrick’s character, the T-1000 asked if she had seen John… Read more »
I saw the Bale incident included in the John Connor curse theory but I think its a stretch. It’s just not on the same level as the others and hasn’t hurt his career at all.
If you were going down that road I’d say that Robert Patrick’s filmography would be much more interesting. Plus, given the difference in popularity between the films I’d say he’d be much more recognizable to the average reader.
Who was the best John Connor?
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=767150
Kristanna Loken strikes me as more of a “one hit wonder” type of actress. I don’t know why for sure she couldn’t capitalize off of her momentum off of “Terminator 3”. I’m guessing that part of it has to do w/ her height. Because Kristanna is nearly 6 ft tall, that could make it hard for her to play for example, a romantic lead or an “every woman” type of character. Kristanna is in a way, sort of a latter day Brigitte Nielsen (who sort of became typecast as a femme fatale/villainous henchman). She had almost no lines in “Terminator… Read more »
40 Stars Who Vanished Without a Trace From Hollywood
http://newravel.com/20-stars-who-vanished-without-a-trace-from-hollywood/38/
Kristanna Loken
Kristanna Loken broke out as the villain in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but she followed it up with appearances in a couple of films by notoriously awful director Uwe Boll. Since then, besides a stint in The L-Word in 2007, she has remained mostly below the radar.
Thanks for the interesting (and sad) WTHH. Just like Melanie Griffith, I feel bad for him but also annoyed at the same time. The people in his life failed to guide and protect him but at some point he has to make his own decisions/choices regardless of his upbringing. Hollywood seems to be brutal on kids unless they have amazing parental support. BTW, I read a book about Jackie Coogan. Maybe you could do a retro WTHH? Keep up the good work!
http://www.amazon.com/Jackie-Coogan-Biography-Hollywoods-Filmmakers/dp/0810859114
Lindsay Lohan is another WTHHT subject whom based on who I equally feel sorry for (due to who her parents are) and annoyed with at the same time. You can also add Thora Birch to the mix (her parents were literally, porn stars), even though her personal life isn’t as big of an open, trainwreck as Lohan’s.
As Valerie pointed out, Hollywood is a rough place. Especially for kids. It eats its young. Christian Slater had a loving parent who was a well-respected casting agent and even he was crying on the set while producers pressured him to do unscripted nude scenes.
The Melanie Griffith comparison is definitely appropriate. Both of them were involved in sexual relationships with adults while they were children. Both lacked any kind of supervision which lead them into addiction. While I agree, at a certain point a person needs to take responsibility for their lives, they faced challenges so difficult I can’t even begin to imagine. There are things you need during your formative years that they just never got. So I really can’t judge them too harshly.
I agree 100%, especially the insight about receiving things (healthy structure, having enforced rules) during one’s formative years that neither Melanie Griffith or Edward Furlong received. It’s almost like a “What did you think was going to happen?” deal.
Tough article to read; arguably the saddest “What The Hell Happened To…” subject to date. The last film I’ve seen of Edward Furlong was “Cruel World” on cable, and it sure is was it is. I was aware of some of his legal and drug problems, but not the extent of them (definitely had no idea about the custody struggles or the tutor). I just looked up his IMDB page and see that his birthday was the second of this month, and we were born the same year. You know, I heard Natasha Lyonne (her character was my favorite female… Read more »
My fingers are definitely crossed for Furlong.
I suspect that some of the other WTHH stories are equally as bad. But in Furlong’s case, the gruesome details were documented. It’s definitely a sad story. I am glad that there hasn’t been any bad news since 2013. No news is good news in this case.
Robin Williams is probably the default “saddest” “What the Hell Happened to…” subject only because all now know the end result of the story.
Yeah, but I see Robin Williams as a different case. His talent was his demon, and I’m guessing Robin Williams would get easily down on himself if (even if everyone else thought he was awesome; I know I have) he felt he didn’t deliver. Robin Williams was just amazing, and what he wanted most in life, my guess, was to entertain. It’s sad, and I was just as bummed that he took his own life. Edward Furlong, on the other hand, sounds like someone who had an expensive myth thrown his way, lived up to it (I think he’s a… Read more »
Agreed. I was saddened by Williams’ death. But Furlong’s entire life story is tragic. He was one of those kids who never really had a chance. Adding fame and money just makes the problems worse.
I guess, Kelly McGillis now can take the female prize for “saddest WTHHT” subject.
The slight difference I see between Edward Furlong & Lindsay Lohan is that Lohan was more groomed to be a star since she was a kid, while for Furlong it was thrust upon him. But otherwise thier stories are somewhat parallel.
Kelly McGillis has definitely experienced way too much tragedy/incidents (after all that, how could she not consider a higher force working against her?), and for Robin Williams, the way he was wired was his burden (also, it seems his body kind of betrayed him, as it does most of us).
And speaking of female counterparts, Lindsay Lohan is arguably the closest female equivalent to Edward Furlong. Both came from an already troubled background/broken home, both became stars/household names before they became legal adults, and they both derailed their once promising careers w/ drugs and various other legal problems.
I disagree. Robin had the saddest ending to his story so far, but overall he had a good life. No question the depression made tougher than it appeared to us but I think if he were around today he’d have been mostly happy with how things went. We probably see it as more tragic because of how beloved he was. Furlong by contrast has had a screwed up life almost from the start and even at what should have been his happiest moment, the success of T2, he had to deal with tons of family drama. From then on it… Read more »
I totally agree with your comment; Robin Williams lived with a built in ready made darkness (he held it at bay like a champ; and created memorable moments) but Edward Furlong? Shoot, you could grow his pickle, but it might be a bit too salty (for anyone that grows vegetables in their yard; these tomatoes and pickles are totally solid:-). Seriously though, you can’t have a person, ANY person, run around without some type of fun (preferred), focus, fear (of not screwing up), and potential. Wow, if I was in Edward Furlong’s position, I likely would’ve made some of his… Read more »
This was indeed, a sad story on many different levels. I’ve not seen even a single one of his movies. I think your chronicle of this actor’s career and life are excellent (as usual) and, more importantly, your overall analysis of events. Agreed all the way down the line.
The kid who wanted to free the lobsters has always been trapped by his own life, and unfortunately, the cycle continues it seems.
That’s the most depressing part. Hopefully Furlong’s son can break the cycle.
Furlong was too old to play John Connor, he was supposed to be nine in the film yet he looked his real age (13).
I don’t think he’s still acting now because he has no upcoming films listed on the imdb. His ex-wife said he gave their 6-year-old son cocaine in 2012.
In fairness, the “Terminator” franchise timeline has always been a bit screwy:
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=terminator+timeline
I think that in the third movie, the rectoned it so that John Connor was born in 1981 (the first film supposedly took place in 1984 while the second film supposedly took place in 1995, despite being released in 1991).
That would still only make him 9 or 10. He’d have only been about 6 by 1991 (7 years between movies minus her pregnancy). Regardless the part doesn’t feel written for a 9 year old, so maybe that was their original idea but by the time they cast Furlong they changed it to a young teen.
T2 was set in 1994 because the Terminator said Judgement Day would happen in three years’ time (in August 1997).
They should have cast a boy of 9 or 10 as John Connor. It’s funny how people say Furlong was a child actor when he was already a teenager in his first film.
I think teen actors are still child actors.
If you cast a 9 or 10 year old, it really changes the whole dynamic of the movie. Also, you have to find one talented 9 year old or else you get Phantom Menace. And no one wants that.
Maybe it just isn’t my taste, but I didn’t like the revamped “Star Wars”, and that includes messing with the initial footage:-(
Good point, I had forgotten about the 1994 thing. However, I still believe the actual script is written for a young teen. It just wouldn’t be plausible for a 9 year old to be riding a motorcycle everywhere and hacking into ATMs no matter how much of a juvenile delinquent he is. Also, teens are regularly considered child actors, and the “former child star” label applies to them as well, unless they make the rare transition to stardom as an adult.
According to IMDB, Furlong has a movie in pre-production and two others that came out this year. Granted one of them was Star Trek: Renegades which is a fan movie or something like that. But I think it’s safe to say he’s still active. If he were to take some time off or change careers, that might be a wise call. From what I read, the character was meant to be 10 in T2. I agree that it didn’t play that way. But I had no problem with John Connor playing like a young teen. I don’t think a 9… Read more »
I would’ve liked Edward Furlong in “T3”. Nick Stahl reminded me of a friend I had when I worked at my uncle’s car wash back in 1997; he ended up briefly dating the ex-girlfriend we knew through each other. Forget that nightmare; I like Nick Stahl in “The Man Without a Face”, and I liked “Disturbing Behavior” as well (that song from that film by The Flys though, “Got You Where I Want You”, dug it).
10 “Perfect” Casting Decisions That Went Horribly Wrong http://whatculture.com/film/10-perfect-casting-decisions-that-went-horribly-wrong-2.php/2 Christian Bale As John Connor – Terminator Salvation It’s reasonable to suggest that filling the shoes of Edward Furlong – who played the young John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day – wasn’t going to be too difficult. While Furlong was competent (if a little whiny and precocious) his successor in Rise Of The Machines, Nick Stahl, was entirely forgettable, meaning that anyone who stepped into Connor’s shoes for Terminator Salvation didn’t have too much to compete with. Christian Bale seemed like the perfect fit for the leader of the rebellion… Read more »
The curse of John Connor: Terminator 3 star who ‘abused drugs and alcohol and frequented Skid Row’ missing… a decade after predecessor almost died from drugs
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2145257/Nick-Stahl-missing-Terminator-3-star-abused-drugs-alcohol-frequented-Skid-Row.html
Color me goofy, but I’d think it would be cool to own a club called ‘Tech Noir’:-)
Hmm.. from old pictures of Edward and Jackie, they looked really happy together. Example: http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/actor-edward-furlong-and-girlfriend-jacqueline-domac-attend-news-photo/155521955
She seems to have started a blog about eating vegan in ~2010 (myveganjournal.com). I wonder if his future would have turned out differently had they stayed together–living a more healthier life free of drugs and addictions. I do agree that their big age difference, at the time that they got together, is disturbing.
If Edward ever writes a biography detailing the experiences and feelings of his life from youth to the present, I would buy it to read.
From what I have read, Domac has done a lot of good work since her involvement with Furlong. She certainly had defenders her when her detractors brought up her scandalous past in the press. I don’t think Furlong and Domac ever had a future together. They split as soon as she got her teaching certificate and then she turns around and sues him for more money. This is after she essentially raped him and he supporter her while she got her teaching certificate. So I don’t think she was ever a good influence. In her favor, she advocates clean living… Read more »
I’ll always be left wondering why they split. I’ve read, at one point in time they were even engaged–but who knows really. It’s sad that she sued him, after having spent so many years together. I miss when Eddie had a more charming, boy-next-door demeanor in his youth, in the old interviews. After 2000 and now, he seems a bit rough and edgy in the way he talks and moves.
Pure speculation on my part but I don’t think its a coincidence that their relationship ended as soon as Domac had her teaching cert and a steady job. I think she’s the villain in this story. She molested a teenage boy and lived off of his money for years. Then when she was financially secure, she cut him loose and sued him for more. I’ll obviously never know what really happened. But I know Domac behaved extremely badly. There’s no justification for what she did.
So Lebeau, you think it was sex abuse? On a technical level, you’re right. That does sound shady that all of a sudden Edward Furlong became the bad guy in what seems to be a very perverted situation. I know I joked about “cougar tutor” and all but realistically I didn’t get physically involved until I was 18 (after that, I was totally about mature females; I think it’s because my parents were age 34 and 45 respectively). Maturity or not, I’d be remiss to explain ANY relationship, but maybe calling her a villain seems fair. Yeah, all of a… Read more »
I consider Domac the villain for getting involved with Furlong in the first place. We know they were a couple when he was 16 and she was 29. But she was his tutor from the age of 14 on. So it may have started even earlier than that. We just don’t know. We also don’t know what her motives were. They could have been downright sinister. But even if she got into it with the best of intentions, a 29-year old should recognize that a 16 year old is incapable of giving consent. So even if Domac wasn’t a “villain”… Read more »
It’s a tough call, but she maybe wasn’t the best structure. I suppose Edward Furlong was left hanging. I don’t know, I’m picturing myself, in his shoes, there is no way I’d be proper. Okay, for example, my parent decided not to teach me a religion, thinking I could go my own way (I decided to be spiritual, but not religious) . I mention all this because it just seems Edward Furlong was tossed out there, not being raised or given choices. I don’t know, I feel bad for the guy. Someone I knew once said, “I’m dangerous because I’m… Read more »
I think he probably had a crush on her first, and made the first move–which in turn, egged her on to go down that path. I mean, who could resist a young, handsome, up-and-coming Hollywood star (speaking from a female perspective)? At that time in his life, when he talked about her in interviews, he seemed to be full of adoration for her. Take away the physical world, their ages, etc and we’re just left with 2 souls drawn together by some force of attraction, at that moment in time. Ok, back to reality now–yes, I agree with you that… Read more »
He was vulnerable both because of his age and because of his circumstances, and a 29 year old woman should have had better judgment. What she did is nothing less than creepy. Not to mention criminal. Whatever “good” she may have done for Furlong as a tutor, and mentor, were unfortunately erased from her exploitation and abuse.
Every woman in her 20s is the subject of a teen boy crush now and again. The normal reaction is to treat them like a little brother… not a love interest.
Thumbs Up given.
My senior year in high school, my business law teacher had a major deal with a friend of mine. Nothing ever became of it, but it was awkward. Her idea of a teaching was viewing “Mrs. Doubtfire” (apparently we would learn about divorce, or something). Anyway, this lady would ask me, “can you call Jose?” Fortunately, Jose had a totally different girlfriend. Jose (he was 20, so he was legal), his brother Chris (who was openly gay, and it was totally awesome in 1995) and I laughed about it at the time, but now I’m feeling a bit uneasy now.
Agreed. If we were talking about a 16 year old dating an 18 or even 20 year old I probably wouldn’t get too concerned. But 29 is a different story. While 13 years is a big difference at any age, the difference between being a teenager and approaching 30 is monumental. Even my early 20s self, much less my teen self, was an idiot compared to me now. But my 29 year old self is somewhat different than me today but not hugely so.
I’m seriously okay with the proverbial “May/December” romance, but that’s mostly because what I experienced is that those that I knew had a healthy mental age of maturity (that includes my parents, and myself. But I’m an old soul anyway). Forget the relationships, it seems Edward Furlong had a terrible family dynamic.
Good read as always. I’ll just put it out there: I’d love to see you write up the new Fantastic Four and Josh Trank and that whole situation. It’s fascinating IMO
From what I hear, Trank behaved very badly including destroying a house that Fox had rented for him. Supposedly his behavior was so bad it lead to his being fired from the Star Wars movie he was going to direct. Fox didn’t like his cut of FF so they tried to “fix” it which almost certainly made it worse. The version they released is supposed to be pretty horrible and from what I have read I have very little doubt that it is. I’d still like to see the Trank cut to see if it needed to be “fixed”.
I don’t blame Domac for Furlong’s drugs/alcohol problems–I agree with Ally that Domac probably delayed him a bit from eventually falling into those vices. However, it seems morally wrong to me to be a 29 year old having sexual relations with a teen–she should have waited until he was more mature. I think true love won’t mind waiting several years. It seems, in the present day and age, school teachers, at formal institutions, who have sexual relations with their students (non-famous teens) are getting into big trouble… but I guess back in the 90s, being a woman tutor teaching a… Read more »
I don’t know why anyone’s giving Domac credit for keeping Furlong off drugs. It’s not like he was on drugs before she entered the picture. He got into them shortly after they broke up. Maybe that contributed the the dissolution of their relationship. Or maybe, his break-up with Domac is what pushed him into the Hollywood party scene. The fact of the matter is none of us know for sure. If Domac had a positive impact on Furlong’s life – which there is very little evidence of – it was temporary. There is no doubt she had a long-lasting negative… Read more »
In Furlong’s case, I wonder if she should doubt that it was really Hollywood that caused the most damage (although such a fragile person having stardom at such a young age certainly couldn’t have helped). He had already come from a broken home and there was no one to protect him from from his 29 year old female tutor. Unlike Brad Renfro or Corey Haim, I don’t remember hearing about Furlong partying with the wrong crowd.
All this talk inspired me to view the 1973 film “Breezy” starring Kay Lenz (I always thought she was really attractive, like Hilary Swank for a different generation) and William Holden. I continued with a Kay Lenz marathon from there up to 1987’s “Stripped to Kill” (not as bad or sleazy as the title suggests). I have to say, 1976’s “Moving Violation” was my favorite of the group.
Who Courtney Stodden is is a female who was 16 when she married 50 year old actor Doug Hutchinson (he was in such films as “A Time To Kill”, “Con Air”, and “The Green Mile” in bit parts. Before this I remember seeing him in films, but after this deal I’ll always remember him like I do my middle name) in 2011. She did an interview at the time (with Hutchinson in tow) stating that she is a virgin and is very Christian and what not, but at the same time promoting a video in which she was in a… Read more »
Apparently Furlong has liver and kidney problems.
Not at all surprising, but I am sorry to hear that.
Wow,read alot info about Eddie Furlong I never even knew happened.I thought he was still the slim guy in Calvin Klein model, and making cool movies. The last time I heard of him was when he dated Paris Hilton, and she even cheated on him. Thanks for the update Mr. Lebeau
Glad you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Edward Furlong seemed to be somebody who was great or at his best in movies as the angsty teenager, but you just never got the impression he was that passionate about acting as an adult.
Good Bad Flicks: Arachnoquake
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z10CBKjt6o8
More giant spiders!
’90s Stars Who Met Sad Fates: http://www.looper.com/3526/sad-fates-90s-stars/ Edward Furlong Edward Furlong skyrocketed to fame as John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). He enjoyed moderate success until the end of the decade, which saw the decline of his career as well as turmoil in his personal life. Part of Furlong’s personal troubles began when he was at his peak: when he was 15 years old in 1992, he began a relationship with his 29-year-old tutor, Jacqueline Domac, who would later become his manager. When they split in 1999, Domac demanded 15 percent of his earnings and sued him for… Read more »
40 Stars Who Vanished Without a Trace From Hollywood
http://newravel.com/20-stars-who-vanished-without-a-trace-from-hollywood/34/
Edward Furlong
Once a promising actor, thanks to roles in Terminator 2: Judgement Day and American History X, Edward Furlong is another unfortunate case of a child star gone off the rails. In 2013, for instance, he was sentenced to five years probation following domestic violence charges.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVaMtCi9Xw0
15 Famous Actors Who REALLY Aren’t Aging Well http://screenrant.com/celebrities-actors-not-aging-well-look-old/ EDWARD FURLONG Remember how the John Connor of the future looked in Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day? Well Edward Furlong, the actor who played the child version of humanity’s future savior, hasn’t exactly turned out that way. It was evidently a case of too much, too young for Furlong, who packed more into a decade than most ordinary adults manage in a lifetime. As well as starring in a glut of movies off the back of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Furlong partied hard. A little too hard, in fact. From… Read more »
10 Acting Careers Destroyed By Great Movies http://whatculture.com/film/10-acting-careers-destroyed-by-great-movies.php/10 Edward Furlong – Terminator 2: Judgement Day The Film: Terminator 2: Judgement Day was easily the best and most well received movie of the ever decreasing Terminator franchise, becoming an instantly recognizable action blockbuster classic of the era, picking up four Academy Awards in the process. The supporting star of the show, Edward Furlong, played the rebellious teenage John Connor, a role he would become synonymous for throughout his whole career. Winning a prestigious Saturn award for Best Young Actor, Furlong was slated to be the next teen sensation of the big… Read more »
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/19rq7a/whose_the_biggest_asshole_famous_person_youve/c8qs2s6 I hope I’m early enough to get in on this: Eddie. F***ing. Furlong. Do you remember this kid? He’s best known for playing young John Connor in the Terminator series, but to me, he’ll always be the douchebag that tried to burn down my high school. I had the misfortune of attending one of the biggest, least reputable high schools in Canada, where they inexplicably decided to film the cinematic disaster that was Detroit Rock City. This a**hole thought he was a star. No, no, I don’t mean like trying to pick up sixteen year old girls by stopping… Read more »
Where is Furlong now? It says he hasn’t acted for three years and in 2012 he asked his fans to help fund a liver transplant?
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/4a8qln/who_is_an_actor_or_actress_that_you_wish_had_a/d0yw787
Wow, very in depth, well-written article. I thought I knew everything about him but you touched on some uncharted territory for sure. I’ve always been a huge fan since day one and always will be. I’m sad he isn’t healthy but I hope he gets in with the right ppl and gets clean so he can act again! Such an underrated actor!!!!!!! Good job!
Why James Cameron’s ‘Spider-Man’ never got made http://www.looper.com/13385/james-camerons-spider-man-never-got-made/ The casting was wrong There were consistent rumors that Cameron wanted to cast Arnold Schwarzenegger as Doc Ock, and given his history with the Austrian strongman, they’re easy to believe. Schwarzenegger even intimated his involvement in an interview with Empire, only going so far as to vaguely say the studio “went in another direction.” The laughable Batman & Robin would prove Arnie indeed had comic book movie aspirations (albeit misguided ones). But Cameron’s script didn’t even feature the villain, so who knows if there were further talks. According to Moviepilot’s breakdown of… Read more »