Edward Furlong: an actor with untapped potential

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

A great start sometimes turns into a road to nowhere. So it was with many bright young actors who started brilliantly, but then their careers began to decline sharply. A prime example is Edward Furlong. The first film with his participation made him a star. But he couldn't keep up the high bar. And now he is more known for scandals and court cases than for talented acting.

Actor biography

Problems began to haunt Edward since childhood. He was born in 1977, August 2, in the town of Glendale, which is located in California. His mother, Eleanor Torres, was Mexican. But about his father, Edward Furlong only knows that he was allegedly Russian. But the actor himself never met him in his life.

It was very difficult for the mother to raise her son alone, and she decided to place him under guardianship. Edward was taken in by his aunt and uncle. Nancy and Sean Furlong raised their nephew until the age of 16.

It should be noted that the young Furlong did not even think about an acting career. According to him, at that time he did not think about the future at all, he just studied, not grabbing the stars from the sky.

A sharp turn in fate

BIn 1991, an event occurred that dramatically changed the fate of Edward. He was 13 years old when casting agent Mali Finn drew attention to him at the Pasadena Boys and Girls Club. She was just looking for the right actor to play John Connor. Cameron launched a new grandiose project. And in "Terminator 2" they needed a capable teenager who would not hang out next to Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Mali Finn highly appreciated the potential of the boy and defended his candidacy in front of the eminent director.

Brilliant start

"Judgment Day" was a great chance for the young actor to express himself. And it should be noted that, despite some difficulties, he managed to realize this chance. James Cameron discovered a new name - Edward Furlong.

"Terminator 2" made the teenager nervous. Once he was even almost fired for disrupting the shooting. Edward forgot the words and mixed up the lines.

The second difficulty began with the voice acting of the film. Furlong's voice began to break sharply in the midst of filming. Therefore, during the editing, I had to sweat a lot so that the viewer would not notice the difference on the screen.

For the role of John Connor, Edward Furlong received an award from MTV in the nomination "Breakthrough of the Year". He was also awarded the Saturn Sci-Fi Award for Best Young Actor.

And, of course, the actor was hit with incredible popularity.

Departure into music

After the "Terminator" Edward suddenly became interested in music. In 1992 he released a solo album. Hold On Tight - title track of the same nameplates. It became number one on the Japanese charts, surpassing even Whitney Houston's hit of the same year.

In Japan, the actor still has female fans who remember his debut album. Although Furlong himself is now ashamed of his offspring. He denies his musical experience, claiming that it was all done for the sake of money.

Films with Edward Furlong

The next significant picture in the biography of the actor was the tape "American Heart". Fifteen-year-old Edward played the son of the protagonist, played by Jeff Bridges, in the film.

And although the picture was not very popular, fans of serious dramatic cinema appreciated it. At the same time, a very strong game of young Furlong was noted. He was even nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for the IFP Spirit award.

Then there were more works in which Edward Furlong received experienced partners as partners. His filmography includes the paintings "Our Own Home" (Kathy Bates), "Little Odessa" (Tim Roth), "The Sound of a Harp in the Meadow" (W alter Matthieu).

It is especially necessary to highlight the ribbon "Little Odessa". Here, along with Tim Roth, Edward's original teachers were Maximilian Schell, Vanessa Redgrave.

It is no wonder that the skill of the young actor grew before our eyes. Still, he had amazing professionals in front of his eyes, who had something to learn in terms of serious acting.

Furlong's finest hour was shooting with Tony Kay. Tape "American History X" 1998 byrightfully considered a masterpiece. Edward Furlong, whose filmography received another brilliant picture, played just "excellent" with Edward Norton.

The picture turned out to be very tough and realistic. Many viewers admitted that it was incredibly difficult for them while watching, as the emotions that went into the hall from the screen simply twisted their hearts and souls. The pain experienced by the characters was simply physically felt while watching. The film is still called the most powerful anti-racist work.

Critics and viewers unanimously recognized and still recognize that the acting in "American History" deserves the most excellent epithets. It is thanks to them that the tape keeps in suspense, makes you sympathize with the characters, living each episode with them.

However, after such a powerful statement about his talent, Edward Furlong gradually began to lose ground. There were several other strong breakthroughs: for example, Stephen Buscemi's crime drama "Zone of the Wolves" (sometimes the name of this tape is translated as "The Animal Factory"), where Willem Dafoe starred with Furlong.

Slanted

But alas, the further, the worse became the projects in which Furlong appeared. The reason was banal - the actor could not stand the popularity that had fallen on him so early. Problems with alcohol, drugs began, there were drives to the police, scandals and litigation. The directors did not want to mess with an unbalanced actor. Yes, and the physical form of Edward Furlong (photos of recent years clearly illustrate this) became quicklylose. And now his name is associated with many only with high-profile scandals. It's a pity. After all, the potential of the actor was promising…