The Terminator Curse: Stars Who Fell from Grace

The Terminator franchise might be a chilling vision of a world overrun by , but for the actors who have portrayed John Connor, the real horror lies off-screen. 

Taking on the role of the sci-fi hero in the -led franchise seems to spell doom for the unlucky stars. 

Oscar winner Christian Bale, , Nick Stahl and more have all had their after playing the iconic figure.

From explosive on-set meltdowns to devastating substance abuse struggles, jail visits to missing person reports, the pattern is undeniable: These actors just can't seem to escape the curse of Connor.

The toll has been so severe that some struggled to revive their careers.

The Daily Mail took a deep dive into the stars who've felt the wrath of the Terminator legacy.

Edward Furlong 

Furlong was the first actor to portray John Connor in James Cameron's 1991 classic Terminator 2: Judgment Day, landing the role at just 13 years old. 

'The whole thing was a shock,' he  . 'I don't know if I ever completely absorbed it. Picked up from nowhere, just auditioned for it and before I knew it, I was doing it. I was in the movie.

'When I look back on it, I'm like damn, that's pretty crazy. When I was younger, I was pretty driven and somehow manifested that into my life. I loved movies and I'd seen Terminator, but had no idea how it was made.'

But Furlong's personal life . 

Just two months after the film's release, a bitter custody battle unfolded between his aunt and uncle, with whom he had been living, and his mother. 

His aunt and uncle were granted legal guardianship in September 1991, though Furlong's mother regained custody in '93, only for the actor to emancipate himself at 16.

Amid this turmoil, in 1992, when Furlong was just 15, he controversially began a relationship with his 29-year-old tutor, Jacqueline Domac, whom he met on the Terminator 2 set.

The couple eventually moved in together, but their relationship turned sour. It culminated in a statutory rape complaint filed by his uncle in 1994, which was ultimately dismissed. 

After their breakup in 1999, Domac sued Furlong for assault and a portion of his earnings.

Despite a promising start – appearing in notable films like American History X and Detroit Rock City – his struggles with drugs took center stage. 

Marijuana, alcohol and psychedelics soon gave way to cocaine and heroin use. In 2022, Furlong told the Daily Mail that 'I was never a normal teenager. I had a very un-normal life. I was almost destined for [drug addiction].'

In 2001, his downward spiral reached a breaking point when he was found in a coma at The Whisky on Sunset Boulevard after a suspected heroin overdose. He was rushed to Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

Still, that wasn't the end of his legal troubles.

Later that year, Furlong was arrested twice on the same day for driving without a license and DUI.

Then, he had a bizarre brush with the law in 2004, which involved drunkenly attempting to 'liberate' lobsters from a grocery store.

Despite these personal struggles, Furlong married actress Rachael Bella in 2006. They share a son, Ethan, 19.

But by 2009, the marriage crumbled. Bella filed for divorce and secured a restraining order after Furlong allegedly threatened her and their child.

A scandal erupted in 2012 when it was revealed that Ethan tested positive for cocaine after spending time with Furlong. The result was a court order for supervised visitation, only.

Furlong's next relationship was with actress Monica Keena. The romance also attracted headlines, particularly after he was arrested multiple times in 2012 and 2013 for alleged domestic violence. 

His battles with addiction and criminal charges continued, with Furlong descending back into heroin and meth use.

'I was shooting loads of heroin, meth... smoking DMT all the time,' he previously told the Daily Mail. 'That's the way I was all day.'

But after years of turmoil, Furlong began turning his life around. 

The Terminator curse of meltdowns, meth and missing persons: How Edward Furlong, Christian Bale, Nick Stahl, and more stars fell victim after tackling the role of John Connor

In 2022, he told the Daily Mail that he had relaunched his career, embracing sobriety and celebrating his 'second chance.'

'It feels great to be back on set and sober, too,' he said.

As part of his next chapter, Furlong got dental surgery to correct his teeth after some turned rotten and fell out due to meth use.

Nick Stahl  

Stahl's journey to fame began at just 13 years old when he made his feature film debut opposite Mel Gibson in 1993's The Man Without a Face. 

Over the next few years, Stahl quickly rose to prominence as one of Hollywood's most promising young actors. 

By his early 20s, he earned critical acclaim for his standout performances as a grieving son in In the Bedroom and as a sadistic bully in Bully, both released in 2001.

Stahl's big break came when he beat out Shane West and Jake Gyllenhaal for the coveted role of John Connor in 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. 

While the role of the rebellious hero was his most high-profile, Stahl was far from a one-hit wonder.

He further solidified his acting chops with gripping performances in the short-lived, but critically praised HBO drama Carnivàle, where he played a fugitive with healing powers. 

Stahl also captivated audiences with his portrayal of a serial child-killer in Robert Rodriguez's 2005 neo-noir film Sin City.

Despite his early success, Stahl's career was overshadowed by a series of personal crises.

Much of his turmoil stemmed from his intense addiction to drugs and alcohol, which spiraled out of control from the late 2000s into 2013. 

'I was pretty much hung over for every single day of work that I ever did – as a kid, in my early 20s, through all the films, through In the Bedroom, through Terminator, through Carnivàle, through all of it,' Stahl admitted in 2021 to .

'I didn't really discriminate – I'd use anything to change the way I felt when I was sober.'

At 16, as his career took off, Stahl moved to Los Angeles with his mother. There, he often frequented bars, easily gaining entry thanks to his older friends.  

His easy access to partying and drugs led to the start of a dangerous path. Stahl first experimented with marijuana, then moved onto pills and eventually more potent street drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine.

'That became what I chased,' Stahl told THR. 'It's a horribly cliche child-actor story, but I had a very unusual relationship to drugs and alcohol. I never had a brake pedal with it.'

Stahl first entered rehab in 2007. He sought treatment again in 2009 after relapsing, and continued to struggle in the years that followed.

By 2012, his life took a darker turn. 

Stahl and his wife, Rose Murphy, separated in January of that year. Then, she reported him missing on May 14. He was later found in rehab.

That same year, Stahl was arrested for a 'lewd act' at an adult bookstore, though charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.

A heartbreaking photo of him on Skid Row in 2013 highlighted his fall from grace. 

In June 2013, Stahl was arrested for meth possession, which prompted his wife to require drug tests for his visitation with their daughter.

Seeking a fresh start, he moved to Texas, entered rehab and began rebuilding his life. 

By 2021, he had been sober for four years, reconciled with his family and, after nearly a decade-long hiatus, made his acting comeback with a starring role in The Murder of Nicole Brown Simpson. 

Christian Bale

Bale's portrayal of John Connor in Terminator Salvation (2009) is famous not just for his acting, but for his explosive outburst at the film's director of photography, Shane Hurlbut. 

The expletive-filled tirade became infamous after a recording of it leaked online in 2009. 

'What the f*** are you doing? Are you a professional or not?' Bale could be heard shouting at Hurlbut in the audio.

'You're unbelievable, you're un-f******-believable. Number of times you're strolling and f****** around in the background. I've never had a DP behave like this.

'You don't f****** understand what it's like working with actors, that's what that is.' 

Though Bale publicly apologized, the incident left him with a reputation for a volatile temper. The controversy followed him for years.

Despite the fallout, Bale continued to land high-profile roles, eventually earning an Academy Award in 2011 for The Fighter.

'I'm totally grateful and surprised that I get to keep working, right?'  in 2022. 'But within that gratitude, you can't let standards slip.'

Thomas Dekker 

Dekker played John Connor on the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. He found himself in legal trouble in 2009, just months after the show's cancellation.

He was arrested for striking a cyclist with his car, though the charges were reduced to misdemeanor reckless driving.

In 2017, Dekker came out as gay and became an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. 

He also openly discussed his struggles with alcoholism and being closeted in Hollywood. 

Nowadays, Dekker is active on Patreon, where he shares provocative content with paid subscribers.