Colin Farrell opened up about a deeply personal aspect of his life: his son James’s journey with a rare neurogenetic disorder.
In an open and emotional conversation, the Irish celebrity revealed his concerns and aspirations for his son, as well as throwing light on the lesser-known illness. According to the 48-year-old actor, “I want James to have kindness in the world.” “I want everyone to be respectful and kind to him.”
“He’s cheeky and he’s bold and he’s bright, and he knows exactly what he wants,” Colin Farrell said about his 20-year-old son, James
credits: People /Instagram
Image credits: People /Instagram
James was born in 2003 to model and actress Kim Bordenave of Phone Booth. He was identified as having Angelman syndrome at the age of two and a half, which is an uncommon neurogenetic condition that can result in significant developmental delays. He told Irish Independent of James, “He’s doing great, and he’ll be 21 in September, which is just mad.” “He knows exactly what he wants, and he is bright, bold, and cheeky.” James, 48-year-old actor and model Kim Bordenave’s child born in 2003, was diagnosed at age 2 and a half with Angelman syndrome.
James, who is nonverbal and 20 years old, will outgrow many of the support networks offered to families with children who require special assistance. “Your child is kind of on their own once they turn 21,” the devoted father of two said to People. “Every precaution that is taken, special education classes—all of that disappears, leaving you with a young adult who ought to be a fully integrated member of our contemporary society but is frequently left behind.”
They didn’t see any indicators that would have worried them about James’s health when he was delivered. However, they soon came to the conclusion that he was not meeting his milestones, such as sitting or crawling.
The Irish star was in tears as he spoke about the first time his son walked just a couple of weeks before his 4th birthday
After the birth of his second son, Henry, 15, the on-screen actor and his former partner, Ondine costar Alicja Bachleda-Curuś, became more transparent. James was a pretty quiet newborn. And he was laid back — and he’s anything but — and I simply believed I’d won the lotto,” he remembered. “I would have known sooner if James had been my second child instead of my first, since I thought it was normal for babies to coo when I heard Henry’s first cry.”
Colin is also a father to his second son, Henry, 15, whom he shares with his former partner and Ondine costar, Alicja Bachleda-Curuś
Image credits: People /Instagram
Image credits: People /Instagram
The Lobster star posed the doctor two questions following James’s positive test results for Angelman syndrome. “It seems like the first two things I enquired about were the amount of pain involved and the life expectancy. “Life expectancy is the same for you and me as far as we can tell, and pain, no,” the doctor responded.
Colin established the Colin Farrell Foundation to support and promote awareness for adult children with intellectual disabilities as James gets closer to turning 21 next month.
The actor launched the Colin Farrell Foundation to support individuals and families living with intellectual disability through education, awareness, advocacy, and innovative programs
Image credits: People /Instagram
Image credits: People /Instagram
“We want to take a good look at residential potential for families with young adults who are ready to go out into the world and have a greater sense of community and connection,” he said.
“It’s critical that James and all of our children have a sense of belonging and acceptance in the community,” he went on. “Not merely from altruistic activities, or from being kind and morally upright, but from a genuine want to interact and get to know one another. They deserve to live more independently, with more liberty, and with more sense of community.
