Colin Farrell Reveals Rare Insight Into Life With Son James' Brave Battle With Angelman Syndrome

Colin Farrell is opening up about his son.

In an interview with People published on Wednesday, the Banshees of Inisherin star gave a rare look into his home life with son James. The 20-year-old lives with Angelman syndrome — a rare genetic disorder that causes developmental delay, mental disabilities, issues with speech and balance, and even seizures, according to the Mayo Clinic. And according to Colin himself, the star just wants “the world to be kind to James.”

He opened up about his son’s early years and doctors initially misdiagnosing him with Cerebral palsy, which he said was a common misdiagnosis at the time because of the similar “presentations” and “characteristics.” However when a pediatric neurologist spent more time with James around the age of 2, they were able to determine he had Angelman syndrome due to his “inappropriate outbreaks of laughter.” From the time he received that official diagnosis, Colin said he and his ex Kim Bordenave were able to “zero in” on care.

For the interview, it was the first time The Batman star ever allowed a camera crew into his home, as he told the outlet that he’s “very private.” But his goal in doing so is to help raise awareness:

“I choose to believe that if James knew that doing this could help families and could help other children and young adults who live with special needs, James would say, ‘Dad, what are you talking about? Why are you even asking me? It’s a no-brainer.”

Colin revealed that James, who is nonverbal and turns 21 next month, will lose out on many of the support systems he currently qualifies for:

“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.”

But he won’t stand to see his son “left behind,” so he’s launching the Colin Farrell Foundation to extend that support to adults living with developmental disorders. He told the outlet:

“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.”

He added:

“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. 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’s spirit and what kind of young man he is and the goodness that he has in his heart.”

You can see more from his interview (below):