Colin Farrell is offering insight into his 20-year-old son James’ battle with Angelman syndrome.
“This is the first time I’ve spoken about it, and, obviously, the only reason I’m speaking is I can’t ask James if he wants to do this,” Farrell, 48, told People in an interview published on Wednesday, August 7, of his firstborn, who is nonverbal. “I mean, I can. I speak to James as if he’s 20 and has perfect fluency with the English language and age-appropriate cognitive ability. But I can’t discern a particular answer from him as to whether he’s comfortable with all this or not, so I have to make a call based on knowing James’ spirit and what kind of young man he is and the goodness that he has in his heart.”
Farrell shares James with ex-girlfriend Kim Bordenave. The Banshees of Inisherin actor is also the father to 14-year-old son Henry, with whom he shares with Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.
According to People, James also has a live-in caregiver. Farrell further gushed to the outlet that James has “worked so hard all his life” amid his Angelman syndrome diagnosis. (The Mayo Clinic defines Angelman as a condition caused by a genetic change, which causes delayed development, problems with speech and balance, mental disability and seizures.)
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“Repetition, repetition, balance, his jerky gait. When he started feeding himself for the first time, his face looks like a Jackson Pollock by the end of it,” Farrell explained. “But he gets it in, he feeds himself beautifully. I’m proud of him every day, because I just think he’s magic.”
James will turn 21 in September with Farrell offering hopes for his firstborn’s adult life.
“I want the world to be kind to James,” he told People. “I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect. Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own. All the safeguards that are put in place, special ed classes, that all goes away, so you’re left with a young adult who should be an integrated part of our modern society and more often than not is left behind.”
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James’ journey has inspired Farrell to start an eponymous foundation to provide support for adult children navigating intellectual disabilities. According to a website description, the Colin Farrell Foundation is “committed to transforming the lives of individuals and families” through education, awareness, advocacy and innovative programs.
“For years [I] wanted to do something in the realm of providing greater opportunities for families who have a child with special needs, to receive the support that they deserve, basically the assistance in all areas of life,” Farrell told the magazine, citing that others like James have “earned the right to have a greater degree of individuality and autonomy on life and a greater degree of community.”
