Edward Furlong: Melancholy Baby

Coming out of his "slowing down" phase, Furlong reunited with his old sidekick Arnold Schwarzenegger on a hugely-expensive Terminator Universal Studio's tour short that director James Cameron shot with state of the art special effects, in 3D, yet. How did Furlong get along with the infamously volcanic Cameron this round? "I look at it this way," philosophizes Furlong. "If I was directing a $100-million film, I'd be yelling and screaming and everything, too, you know? Jim is a real perfectionist. He kinda wants everybody to just do the best they can. He yells, but he's a really nice guy and he always makes up for it in the end. He's never yelled at me. The worst he's done is snap at me when I was being stupid or not getting something, you know?"

What movies has Furlong been up for and lost? I've heard he's been talked about for that long-stalled Warner Bros. bio of James Dean, a project that DiCaprio has also been mentioned for. "Anybody who's going to play James Dean is just asking for bad reviews. Although I do think Val Kilmer made one hell of a Jim Morrison." How about the rumor that he was under consideration to play the Boy Wonder in Batman Forever? "Chris O'Donnell is a lot older than me, but it might have been cool. 'Eddie Furlong is Robin!'" To Die For? "I really wanted that part and thought I'd had an interesting meeting with Gus Van Sant," he admits, of the role of the teen killer played by Joaquin Phoenix. The Susan Sarandon-and-her-many-sons movie, Safe Passage? "I went in and read for that. I think, but I look at so many scripts I forget them. I think I was up for Primal Fear, and I heard a lot about the Winona Ryder movie that Lukas Haas got. But, I tell you, there are very few scripts where you get sucked in within the first five pages and you're just in it. I would love, love, love to be in a movie set in the '60s. I drive Jackie nuts because I'm always saying, 'I wish we could be back in the '60s, sitting all day in some Berkeley park being hippies.' I'm crazy about the music, especially the Beatles. But back to your question, another kind of role that would be so much fun to play, even if I'm obviously too young, would be the kind of part Jack Nicholson had in The Shining. I like scary movies. I like the madness, too."

Speaking of scares, what in real life spooks Furlong the most? "Going nuts," he answers very softly, after a long silence. What's inside him when you strip away all the movie star bullshit? "Ooh, like what's in my soul? Well, I'm just, like, someone who lets things come as they come. I think I'm a nice guy, Pretty laid-back, Not very moody. Not much else." If he's so sunny and uncomplicated, then what's with the persistent rumor that he is no stranger to some very '60s-ish hard living, including, maybe, drugs? "Me? Oh, my God." he says, momentarily speechless. "You tell me the funniest stuff about myself." He looks flabbergasted, but mirthless. "Well, you see, I'm pretty heavy on the crack and the horse," he mocks. "Want to check my veins?" Sure. I say, and he rolls up his sleeves, saying, "Pretty clean, right?" I have to agree. "This is more of the fantasy world they're just making up about Holly-wood. The shooting up drugs, the craziness, all of that, it's just bullshit," Maybe, but it's not like drug use is unheard of among young actors in Hollywood. Pointing to himself, Furlong shakes his head and says, "Not here."

When might Furlong, who turns up all the time as a cover or poster boy in teen magazines, do a love scene with a major movie babe? And, if he had a choice, who would it be? Winona? Alicia? Claire? "I've never worked with any of them and I haven't even seen an Alicia Silverstone movie," he answers. "To tell you the truth, I hate kissing scenes. I know you're going to press me on this, but I swear, the best definition of why I hate kissing scenes is that they're just weird." Wait. Isn't this the guy who told an interviewer about his first screen peck in American Heart that he kept trying to screw up take after take to prolong the pleasure? "This is now, man," he says. Furlong muses for a moment, then adds: "The whole thing about this teen stuff is that, before I was in the business, I heard so many times. 'God, you're short,' or 'You're ugly.' Then you get into the business, and suddenly you're the greatest looking guy in the universe. Fuck."

Since he seems to groove on the weird-ness of Hollywood life, I ask Furlong if he'd like to riff on some typical teen idol questions. He's game. So, what kind of girls does he prefer? "Whatever Jackie is. I'm a real romantic. That's one thing for sure." Boxers or briefs, button-fly or zipper? "Briefs and button-fly." Roll-on or stick? 'I'm usually a stick man," he says, cracking up. Hard body or natural? "Whatever Jackie has," he says. A perfect date? "Doing anything with Jackie," he gushes. Doing my best Rona Barrett imitation, I ask, do they plan to tie the knot anytime soon? "Nobody's business," he says, "But this is for life. Definitely."

Since Furlong's salary has risen exponentially from the $30,000 he reportedly copped for T2, on what sort of cool stuff is he blowing his money? "I've always wanted to be a Harley-Davidson biker, not have a home and be a happy wanderer. Jackie would kill me if I ever got a bike. But, the money thing -- see, I have such a big team that, by the end, I hardly have any money to blow anyway. Some of my favorite things I've bought, though, are my car and a big stereo system with mega-woofer, surround sound and a laser disc player." A house? He shakes his head. "We rent this three-story house that's really cool and has city skyline and canyon views. Jackie picks the furniture because she says I have no taste. I have one special room, though, where I can decorate it any way I want, like with peace signs and stuff. Let's see, where else does the money go? Oh, also, we have a lot of animals." A lot? "Frances the dog and a lot of cats," he says. "We're just crazy animal lovers. But no, I'm not going to tell you how many cats, because it will wind up in some crazy newspaper, 'Eddie Furlong Has One Hundred Cats.' "

After a break during which Furlong and Domac take a run together with their dog -- anyone who says these two aren't a matching set is not paying attention -- he admits, with refreshing candor, to having absolutely no clue as to what movie he might do next. Not even a bite? A nibble? He shakes his head, no, and appears not the least bit perturbed. "I feel really good these days. I know that a lot is going to depend on how people like Before and After." A lot that may include seeing him step up to meatier roles. "Tell you what, though," he adds, grinning facetiously. "If the career doesn't work out, I'll definitely go to college and try another line of work. If that doesn't pan out, I can always go shoot up and be a rock star."

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Stephen Rebello co-wrote Sex '96 for the Jan./Feb. issue of Movieline.

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