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Edward Furlong was 14 years old when Terminator 2: Judgement Day was released in 1991. And it is R-Rated.

Was Edward allowed to watch this movie with a bunch of his under-age friends? Or do they make an exception for the actor?

Actually this applies to all other R-Rated movies with child stars in them.

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First, the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) film-rating system is voluntary and not enforced by law. Still, most theaters in the United States enforce the ratings and don't let children under 17 into R-rated films without a parent or legal guardian. So it's really up to a child actor's parents whether or not they're allowed to see an R-rated movie that they appear in.

One notable rumor (confirmed in an interview) where a child actor was not allowed to see an R-rated movie in which they appeared was Olivia Hussey who appeared in the 1968 production of Romeo and Juliet at the age of 16. The film got an R-rating for nudity. It's ironic that Hussey would not have been allowed to see the film in U.S. theaters because she was the one who appeared nude.

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  • Source: filmratings.com (pdf) On 11/1/68, the movie rating system (MPAA) was born. With assurances that the system was voluntary — and not regulated by the government — MPAA member company studios agreed to submit all theatrical product for rating. Members of NATO agree to enforce the system by asking for identification and refusing admission to R-rated movies by unaccompanied children or to NC-17 movies by children whether or not accompanied. Retailers and rental stores also enforce the ratings for movies released on video. Assume all the adults of the film served as pseudo-parents, to allow.
    – wbogacz
    Jan 2, 2012 at 1:11
  • My last comment consumed all my allowable characters. The last sentence (my opinion) should include the phrase "to allow Edward to attend the viewing at the premier". Thanks.
    – wbogacz
    Jan 2, 2012 at 1:25
  • The info about Olivia Hussey.. interesting. So if it were just the child actor and his/her friends, in all probability, the theatres could deny permission. Is that what you are saying?
    – Lelouch Lamperouge
    Jan 2, 2012 at 6:06
  • @EknathIyer Yes, they could and probably would. While they might be willing to look the other way for the kid who was actually in the movie, the friends still wouldn't have a parent or guardian present.
    – Bill the Lizard
    Jan 2, 2012 at 9:12
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    @DA Here's a recent WSJ Law Blog article that says that most theaters enforce ratings (the article is about a notable exception). Do Theaters Have to Enforce Movie Ratings? I grew up in the 80s and early 90s, so things might have changed concerning R-rated movies since I was young.
    – Bill the Lizard
    Jul 7, 2015 at 10:55
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Yes, he watched the movie when it was released. You can see him at the Los Angeles premiere here.

enter image description here

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