Where is Edward Furlong now? Inside Terminator star’s life as he turns 49

Edward Furlong has made headlines recently as he turned 49 on Sunday. The Terminator 2: Judgment Day actor had no prior acting credits when James Cameron cast him at 13 to play John Connor opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1991 sequel. Furlong went on to appear in the 1998 drama American History X, after which his career took a hit. He began struggling with addiction and checked into rehab for the first time in 2000.

Edward Furlong, who now has more than 100k followers on Instagram, has spoken openly about rebuilding his life in recent years. He was set to appear at the Melbourne Metro Comic Con on July 18-19 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, where fans were told they would get the chance to take photos with and receive autographs from the California-born actor. Linda Hamilton, 69, was also slated to appear at the event. As per the official Melbourne Metro Comic Con Instagram, Furlong's appearance was announced cancelled just one day before the convention was set to take place.

Edward Furlong misses Melbourne Metro Comic Con after failing to make flight to Australia:

The Melbourne Metro Comic Con Instagram shared a caption alerting attendees to Furlong's absence.

"It is with great regret that we announce that due to unforeseen circumstances, Edward Furlong was unable to make his flight to Australia this weekend, and as such will not be able to attend Metro Comic Con."

The caption further noted,

"We have been working together to see if there was an alternative flight option, but unfortunately nothing available would get him to Melbourne in time for the event."

Furlong's disappointment was also conveyed to fans.

"Edward is extremely disappointed, as he was incredibly excited to finally travel out and meet his Australian fans, but he has assured us that [he] will be coming over to see you all in the near future."

The Comic Con cancellation comes as Furlong appears to have gotten his life back on track after some difficult years. After his first rehab stint in 2000, the actor struggled through years of relapses that led to several run-ins with the law. Prolonged crystal meth use took a visible toll, and striking images sparked public concern as the former child star's descent played out in the open.

Edward Furlong revealed to the Daily Mail in 2024 that he had relaunched his career, celebrating what he called his

"second chance."

He had appeared in The Forest Hills and Unspeakable: Beyond the Wall of Sleep, sharing at the time,

"It feels great to be back on set and sober too."

Edward Furlong opens up about losing Terminator 3 role due to drug use and his return in Dark Fate:

As per an interview shared by Forbes back in 2019, Furlong opened up about losing the role of John Connor in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. The actor had been offered a contract to reprise the role but had it taken away. He admitted,

"Essentially, I overdosed on drugs. I had a contract. And that always really bummed me out."

Furlong shared that he had gone out to celebrate landing the T3 role, but word of his antics got back to the studio, which ultimately cost him the part. The role was given to actor Nick Stahl instead. Furlong also shared that he had never watched the three Terminator films he wasn't a part of following T2, adding,

"But John Connor is what changed my life. I had never done anything before that. And I've been making a living because of that."

On his return to the franchise in Dark Fate, Furlong described the experience as bittersweet.

"So it's a very close thing to me and it was a little bittersweet doing it. That's my role. To get it back in the long run was good."

Edward Furlong's part in Dark Fate wasn't a large one. That being said, it remained amongst his most high profile work since a recurring role across five episodes of the CBS crime drama CSI: New York, which ended in 2010.

Edward Furlong jokes about signing autographs for a living while acknowledging how rare his situation is:

As per the same Forbes interview from 2019, Furlong was candid about his life on the pop culture convention circuit. During his Days of the Dead panel, he joked,

"Basically, my job is to sit on my a*s and sign autographs and let people tell me how awesome I am. The fact that I can do that is both awesome and wrong at the same time."

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Furlong then took a more serious tone when speaking to Forbes directly.

"It's a blessing, you know? I'm lucky. I'm so glad that I've had a couple of things that have stayed relevant enough that I can still come and somewhat make a living doing things like this. That's a rare thing. I don't take it for granted."

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