Collin Farrell has offered a rare insight into his life caring for his 20-year-old son James, who has special needs due to Angelman syndrome.
James was born with a neurogenetic disorder that causes developmental delays, impaired balance and other problems.
Her own case is severe enough that she is unable to speak and requires the assistance of a live-in caregiver to perform daily tasks.
Now, as Colin launches a foundation for other adults with intellectual disabilities, he has spoken movingly about his love for his son.
“I want the world to be kind to James. I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect,” the 48-year-old actor said. People.
Collin Farrell has offered a rare glimpse into his life caring for his 20-year-old son James, who has Angelman syndrome, showing this image on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2010
James appears in an Instagram image his mother Kim Bordenave posted in February in honor of Angelman Syndrome Awareness Day.
Colin shares James with his ex, Canadian model Kim Bordenave, and has another son named Henry, 14, with Alicja Bachleda-Curús, his co-star in the 2009 film Ondine.
During Colin’s photo shoot for People magazine, James can be seen playing with a ball in the backyard and sweetly trying to involve a female reporter in the activity by throwing it to her.
Colin shared that James “has worked very hard all his life, very hard” to learn “repetition” and “balance,” and to improve his “jerky gait.”
He recalled: “When he first started feeding himself, his face looked like Jackson Pollock at the end. But he gets it right and feeds beautifully. I’m proud of him every day, because I think he’s magical.”
“This is the first time I’ve talked about it and obviously the only reason I’m talking about it is because I can’t ask James if he wants to do this,” Colin said.
Part of the reason why it started Colin Farrell Foundation That’s because when people with special needs turn 21, they are no longer eligible for certain assistance that was previously available to them.
“Once your son turns 21, he’s on his own,” said Colin, less than two months before James reaches that milestone age.
“All the safeguards that are put in place, the special education classes, all of that goes away, so what you’re left with is a young adult who should be an integrated part of our modern society and who, in most cases, is left behind.”
Colin shares son James with his ex, Canadian model Kim Bordenave (pictured together), and has another son named Henry, 14, with his Ondine co-star Alicja Bachleda-Curús.
Kim lovingly posted this photo of James on Mother’s Day 2023, writing: ‘I love this boy x Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms x lots of love.’
Kim posted this photo of James on Angelman Syndrome Awareness Day 2023 and explained, “It’s his physical limitations that are the hardest for us, for him.”
Colin is pictured with his youngest son Henry at last year’s Oscars, where he was nominated for Best Leading Actor in Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees Of Inisherin.
He explained: “This is the first time I’ve talked about it and obviously the only reason I’m talking about it is because I can’t ask James if he wants to do this.”
Colin later clarified: “I mean yes I can. I talk to James as if he’s 20 years old and speaks fluent English and has age-appropriate cognitive ability.”
He added: “But I can’t discern a particular response from him as to whether he’s comfortable with all of this or not, so I have to make a decision based on knowing James’ spirit and what kind of young man he is and the goodness he has in his heart.”
The In Bruges actor hopes that “if James knew that taking a photo with me in the back garden, which is not my favourite thing to do, if we were doing it to help families and other young adults living with special needs, he would say: ‘Dad, what are you talking about? Why are you asking me? There’s no question about it.'”
She said that “that’s why” she agreed to open her life to the spotlight and create her foundation. “All of this is thanks to James, everything is in his honor.”
The Colin Farrell Foundation’s goal is to help provide “greater opportunities for families who have a child with special needs to receive the support they deserve – basically assistance in all areas of life.”
Adults with intellectual disabilities “have earned the right to a greater degree of individuality and autonomy in life, and a greater degree of community,” he said.
When James was four, Colin went public with his Angelman syndrome, saying his son had shown “amazing courage” in the face of his condition.
Shortly before James turned 18, Colin and Kim applied for guardianship over him; they are pictured here at the 2003 Oscars, six months before he was born.
“He took his first steps about six weeks ago, and it took him four years to do so. It was a very emotional experience. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” Colin said.
“The only time I remember there being something different about him, a bit of a departure from what is perceived as normal, is when I see him with other four-year-olds. Then I say, ‘Oh, yes,’ and I remember. But from day one I felt that he was the way he should be,” she told the Irish Independent.
Shortly before James turned 18, Colin and Kim applied for guardianship of him, noting that he still needed help with tasks such as dressing and preparing meals.
In 2012, Colin commented that he and Kim “share the smaller victories: first words at six or seven, being able to feed himself at 19 and controlling seizures. When James took his first steps at four, I nearly broke in two!”
Colin first decided to “speak publicly about the pride and joy I felt for our son” while attending the 2007 Special Olympics, he told InStyle.
‘It has enriched my life, but I don’t want to minimize the trials that so many families go through – the fear, the dismay, the frustration and the grief… When you’re the parent of a child with special needs, it’s important to feel like you’re not alone.’
(tags to translate)dailymail