The Troubling Oversight Behind Edward Furlong’s Early Career Raises Questions Decades Later

For many moviegoers, Edward Furlong will always be remembered as the young actor who played John Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. But behind the breakout role that launched him into international fame, a far more complicated and uncomfortable story was unfolding—a story that has resurfaced in recent years as conversations about child actors and on-set protections have intensified.

According to multiple reports and interviews from the 1990s, Furlong met Jacqueline Louise Domac when he was just 13 years old. Domac, then 29, was hired as his on-set tutor—a position designed to ensure both his education and his wellbeing during filming. By Furlong’s mid-teens, the two were publicly described as being in a relationship, prompting concerns that were largely ignored within the industry at the time.

Despite the significant age difference and the inherent power imbalance between a minor and an adult employee responsible for supervising him, there were no formal investigations reported by studios, unions, or child-welfare authorities during that period. The lack of scrutiny has since become a notable example cited by advocates who argue that young performers were historically left vulnerable to adult misconduct.

Their relationship later deteriorated, culminating in legal disputes and public accusations. While the details of those conflicts were handled through attorneys and the court system, the broader issue highlighted by observers remains unchanged: a teenager in a position of dependency appeared to be involved with an adult tasked with protecting him, and those around them failed to intervene.

Today, the situation is frequently referenced in discussions about safeguarding minors in Hollywood. Experts point to Furlong’s experience as evidence of the need for clearer boundaries, stronger oversight, and a cultural shift that recognizes the unique vulnerabilities of child actors—regardless of fame, talent, or financial power.

More than three decades after Terminator 2, Furlong’s early career stands as a reminder of an industry still reckoning with its past and striving to build safer environments for the young performers who enter it.