Colin Farrell has opened up about his personal life, particularly his son James, who has Angelman syndrome—a rare condition affecting mental development, speech and balance. In a recent interview with People, Farrell expressed his hope for increased kindness and respect towards his son. He also announced the launch of the Colin Farrell Foundation, which aims to support adults with similar disabilities. As James will turn 21 in September, Farrell noted that he will lose access to some therapies designed for disabled children, but the foundation will continue to provide support for him and others in similar situations.
Colin Farrel said, “This is the first time I’ve spoken about it. He works harder than I’ve ever had to work on myself. It really take James sometimes 90 seconds to take a t-shirt off, socks you know that’s a whole thing all these things are huge huge achievements. He also gifts me with the ability to look at the human being and the human body and life as a Marvel because I see how much he struggles with things that I would never have given a second thought to that I would just like many of us take for granted."
Talking about how James has helped him survive in life, Colin Farrell said, “I’m most grateful for I think I’ll steal Jam Lee Curtis’s answer and say my sobriety. When you have a child with special needs you know you’re even more aware that your child really needs you around and is going to need a lot of help and a lot of support. James was about two when I got sober and he was a big part of me putting the bottle down. I was in no condition to be a friend, a father of a child. If it wasn’t for my sobriety I wouldn’t be able to be there for James and enjoying the marvel of his life. I don’t want to paint a picture either that I’m a perfect dad, at least you know you have to be present."
Describing the challenges and progress of his son, Colin Farrell shares that James initially struggled with basic skills, such as sitting up or crawling. He even had many seizures, which led to numerous hospital visits and ambulance rides, but Farrell is grateful that he didn’t experience them in a decade. Despite these challenges, the actor has seen remarkable improvements. According to Colin Farrell, James, who once struggled to feed himself, now manages it with ease. Colin Farrell is proud of his progress and describes him as “magic."
Initially, Colin Farrell thought his son was a quiet baby, which seemed like a blessing, but his developmental delays pushed the family to do further investigation. The actor explains that when James was 2 and a half years old, a pediatric neurologist observed him and saw one of the features of Angelman syndrome, which was frequent and uncontrolled laughter. The symptom, described as “inappropriate outbreaks of laughter," helped the doctor in diagnosing James with the condition.
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