The John Connor depicter, who has been confirmed among the cast of 'Terminator: Dark Fate', has been arrested multiple times for felony and misdemeanor domestic abuse.
- Jul 24, 2019
AceShowbiz - Troubled Edward Furlong's return to "The Terminator" franchise has been criticised by anti-domestic violence campaigners.
Furlong rose to fame in the 1991 sequel "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" by playing John Connor, the boy who is targeted by the shape-shifting T-100 Terminator to stop him from saving humanity from being wiped out by artificial intelligence in the future. However, his career hit the skids in the 2000s and he was arrested multiple times for felony and misdemeanour domestic abuse between October 2012 and May 2013.
He was officially announced as a cast member at Comic-Con in San Diego, California on Thursday (July 18), with original stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger in attendance - a move that has worried domestic violence campaigners.
"It's important not to sweep Edward Furlong's reported history of domestic violence under the rug just because he's returning to a beloved movie role," Jacquie Marroquin, director of programs at the non-profit California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV), told The Hollywood Reporter.
"There are consequences for survivors, who may think twice about seeking help when they see people who harm gaining fame or power without being held accountable by their fans and peers."
Nerdist writer Benjamin Bailey also condemned Furlong's return, tweeting, "Didn't realize Edward Furlong was a violent, abusive a**hole. Suddenly not so excited about him being in the new Terminator."
In March 2013, Furlong was sentenced to 180 days in jail for violating probation relating to a restraining order obtained by his estranged wife and for violating a restraining order taken out by a girlfriend who was the alleged victim of his domestic violence.
He was handed five years' probation, ordered to rehab for drug addiction, and to undergo 52 weeks of domestic violence counselling as part of a plea deal.
Marroquin added that Furlong shouldn't necessarily be permanently shunned by Hollywood but that he "should allow justice to be determined by the survivor" and seek to publicly make amends for his troubled past.
