Source: Entertainment Weekly

Edward Furlong, best known for playing John Connor in Terminator 2, is opening up about his breakout role, which launched him into the spotlight at the tender age of 13.

As the iconic action film celebrates its 35th anniversary, Furlong is looking back at his experience working with director James Cameron and costar Arnold Schwarzenegger. He admitted that he was lucky to have Terminator 2 be his first major job.

“I was spoiled rotten by being able to work with Jim Cameron as like the first director that I worked with because he really knows what he’s doing,” Furlong told PEOPLE in an interview published Saturday. “It’s like you feel safe with Jim Cameron — you know it’s going to be good.”

“He just was the definition of professional,” the 49-year-old said. “I never, ever saw Arnold complain. He always kind of lifted the mood on set.”

But even with a stellar first experience, the American History X actor admitted that it was difficult to adjust to fame and the demands of a movie career as a kid. In 1994, a few years into his career, Entertainment Weekly reported on the family trouble’s plaguing Furlong behind-the-scenes. Since then, Furlong has been open about his struggles with addiction, which caused him to be dropped from Terminator 3.

“Growing up in the spotlight is really hard,” Furlong continued. “It’s tough enough as an adult to be able to navigate… just being a human being and making mistakes, and whatever, when you got a spotlight on you … it’s tough.”

Although it wasn’t easy navigating young stardom, the Pet Sematary II star said his mistakes “made me who I am today.” He also doesn’t regret going into acting early, as he said it was a great outlet for him as a kid.

“I just found acting like very therapeutic… just really gravitated towards it,” Furlong said. “I’m blessed to have been able to, through most of my life, been able to do something that I really love doing.”