Edward Furlong was once a rising teen star, having gotten his big break with the role of John Connor in James Cameron’s 1991 Terminator sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, when he was just 13. But unfortunately, like many child stars of the ’80s and ’90s, fame became a double-edged sword as Furlong began to spiral into substance abuse and addiction as he began to make the transition into adulthood.
Throughout his ‘20s and ‘30s, the now-44 year old continued to struggle with drug and alcohol dependency, which he says in a new interview with the Daily Mail, initially began as a way to feel like he fit in at Hollywood parties. But eventually, Furlong’s drug use became less about partying and more about getting through the day, as he was taking cocaine to wake up and heroin to fall asleep at night.
“I had a lot of awesome things happen but everything comes with a price, nothing is free,” he told the Mail. “When I was younger, I didn’t have too many people looking out for me and I was left to run wild. I didn’t know how to manage my money. If I was older, I wouldn’t have made so many bad decisions.”
“I was never a normal teenager. I had a very un-normal life. I was almost destined for [drug addiction],” he continued. “In a weird way, I never really felt like I fit in. So, when I was high, I had camaraderie with other people. Just drinking and partying. All of a sudden, I felt like I was with people and I fit in somehow. That’s how it started.”
Furlong would go onto have legal troubles over the years, including several domestic violence incidents. In 2012, his ex-wife, actress Rachael Bella, testified before a judge that their six-year-old son tested positive for cocaine after spending time with his father, which led to requiring that his visits be supervised.
However, it was a 2016 arrest in Ventura, California for being under the influence of an illicit substance that ultimately led to Furlong wanting to get his life back on track.
He was sentenced in February of 2017, where he was given the chance to complete a six-month drug rehab stay in exchange for a suspended sentence of 36 months on probation. He ended up spending a year at Wavelengths Recovery in Huntington Beach and now has over four years of sobriety under his belt.
Furlong has since gotten a full mouth of new teeth that had rotted from drug use (you can see before and after photos at the Daily Mail), just competed work on a new film, Charlie’s Horse, directed by Brad Keller, and now even has a great relationship with his now-15 year old son. Although he admits the cop who arrested him was a “d*ck,” he now says it was a blessing in disguise.
“It was actually getting arrested for such a bulls***t thing that it ended up getting me sober,” Furlong explained. “I was hating life. I thought it was so not fair what had happened. But it led to what’s happening today.”
“It feels great to be back on set and sober too,” he said of his latest project. “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. I really enjoyed it and I feel like I can be more in the moment. I love to work. We’ll see what happens.”
In addition to acting, Furlong now regularly appears at fan conventions, which he promotes on Instagram.
Furlong admitted that it’s amazing that he’s had some close calls, and that it’s amazing he’s still alive.
“I definitely OD’d but that’s the cycle you know. Once you get in there, it’s so hard to see a way out,” he continued. “That’s what I’d want people to understand — there is a way out but it’s hard. It’s the bravest thing I’ve ever done in my life to not use. I’m not someone who likes to be controlled by anything or anyone and I didn’t want to be a slave to it anymore.”
“I’ve learned as time goes on, it’s easier than I thought it would be,” he added. “I like myself better, people definitely like me better sober.”
