Edward Furlong’s Comeback Puts Fans and the Media at a Crossroads

John Connor is coming back to save the future. But how should fans and the media react to the apparent comeback of actor Edward Furlong given his checkered past?

Among the most surprising announcements to come out of Comic-Con International this past weekend in San Diego was the official word that Edward Furlong was reprising his iconic role of John Connor. Furlong was a breakout star in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991). But more than a decade of drug abuse and suspected domestic violence has derailed Furlong’s once promising career.

Furlong was a mere 14 years old when he found fame as the future leader of the human resistance. Starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, Furlong held his own in his debut big screen performance. He became an instant sensation as a teen heartthrob and a rising star in Hollywood.

Another Cursed Child Star

In a narrative that is repeated too often in Hollywood, Furlong became another young star to lose his way to drugs and violent crime. By the end of the 1990s, he’s known for hitting the L.A. part scene pretty hard and in 2001 Furlong is hospitalized for a suspected drug overdose.