10 WORST Actor Replacements In Movies

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines has aged surprisingly well in the years since release. While it was criticised at the time for being a bit too glossy and shiny and, y'know, 2000s, the slew of Terminator misfires that have followed in the 20 years since have almost served to canonise it. But there's one detail about the film that cannot be overlooked, and that's the casting of Nick Stahl as John Connor. 

Rise of the Machines' predecessor, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), is widely regarded as one of the best action and sci-fi movies of all time. And the definitive element of this is not Arnie swinging in as an unexpected good guy, or Robert Patrick's shapeshifting T-1000, but Edward Furlong providing the relatable human core as an immature, rebellious John Connor. Furlong's punk attitude gives the film its flavour, and he bounces off his hulking android protector (Schwarzenegger's T-800) in the most entertaining ways, delivering iconic scenes and catchphrases like "Hasta la vista, baby".

While Stahl is perfectly fine as an actor, he has none of the spunk and deep character qualities that Furlong brought to the role. He also doesn't really click with this T-800, leaving several emotional and character gaps in the film. Unfortunately, Furlong was too washed up to participate, lost in a haze of drugs, and unable to meet the studio's demands.