Colin Farell opens up about his son’s rare diagnosis and their new foundation to help others

Colin Farrell may be used to being in the spotlight, but throughout his career, he’s largely kept his family life more private. Now, though, he’s speaking out more about his 20-year-old son, James, who has Angelman syndrome, a rare neurogenetic disorder. James is nonverbal and has a live-in caretaker, and before he turns 21, Farrell has started a foundation to support other families with adult children with intellectual disabilities.

“I want the world to be kind to James,” Farrell told People magazine. “I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect.”

The timing isn’t coincidental. Farrell explained to People that 21 is when many young adults with disabilities age out of the support systems that exist for families with kids who have special needs.

“Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own,” he said. “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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Farrell shares James with his ex, model Kim Bordenave. He’s now launching the Colin Farrell Foundation, an organization that he hopes will help provide support for adult children who have intellectual disabilities through advocacy, education, and new programs.

“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,” he said. “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.”

Farrell added that James “has worked so hard all his life, so hard. Repetition, repetition, balance, his jerky gait. I’m proud of him every day, because I just think he’s magic.”

Farrell said that “for years,” he’s 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.” That’s what inspired the foundation. And he believes that James wants him to push forward, he said.

“If us doing this could help families and other young adults who live with special needs, he would say, ‘Dad, what are you talking about? Why are you even asking me? It’s a no-brainer.’ So that’s why we’re doing it. This is all because of James— it’s all in his honor.”