When we think of child actors, we think of people like Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, who we’ve seen grow up with us on-screen, or Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso. He mesmerized us with his and Mr. Miyagi’s on-screen chemistry over three movies.
In this article, we’ll be looking at five child actors who no longer returned for the sequel. But these actors all have one thing in common. They returned for their sequels. What about those that didn’t? Where are they now?
Leonardo DiCaprio – Critters 3
Leo might have been famous for his role as Jack in Titanic and as Romeo in the 1996 comedy adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but he started his career at age 16 with Critters 3 as Josh.
Although it’s definitely one of his weakest movies, Critters 3 is an important part of Leo’s career, seeing as it’s his first-ever film. In the movie, Leonardo has a relatively appealing role-playing Josh, the charming stepson of a corrupt landlord. Unfortunately, the plot of Critters 4 no longer made it possible for Leo to return for the sequel because it was set in the future.
Edward Furlong – Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Edward Furlong being one of—if not the most—important characters in the best Terminator film from the franchise set him up for a mountain of expectations. Even with Terminator 2 being his first-ever film, his performance was great, and it set the tone well for the film. However, not everything worked out well.
After T2, he landed a role in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary II and had several handful roles after, but a majority of them were straight-to-DVD movies. He was initially set to join the cast of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and reprise his role, but his struggles with substance abuse eventually ended up with his contract not being honored and him being cut from the film.
Macaulay Culkin – Home Alone 3
Contrary to the rumors spread about why our beloved Kevin McCallister no longer returned for the 3rd movie, the real reason was that Macaulay felt like he had outgrown those childish roles and retired from acting in 1994. This hindered the original plans of Kevin returning as a teenager for the 3rd movie and completely changed the plot.
The fact that Home Alone 3 was not a success and it was the last movie in the Home Alone franchise to receive a theatrical release tells us that Macaulay’s charm was one of the reasons why the franchise’s first two films were successful.
Taylor Lautner – The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D
Taylor Lautner may have found his stride in his Twilight days, but The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl was his breakout role. Although it had a lot of negative reviews from critics and wasn’t that successful, it has since become a cult classic.
The love for the movie eventually spawned a spinoff in a 2020 Netflix film called “We Can Be Heroes,” where Taylor Dooley, the original actor for Lavagirl, reprised her role for a brief appearance. Unfortunately, Taylor was unable to reprise his role because of budget constraints.
Danny Lloyd – The Shining
Danny Lloyd in The Shining was amazing, and it’s unfortunate we couldn’t get him back, but his current career as a Biology professor in Kentucky makes him happy, and that’s all that matters. Besides, Ewan McGregor playing the role of an adult Danny Torrence somehow seemed perfect.
What did you think about this list? Are there any other Child Actors you’d want to add to it? Feel free to comment down below and let us know.
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