Colin Farrell has kept his personal life very private for many years.
But in a new interview, the 48-year-old Irish actor offered a rare glimpse into what life is like at home with his 20-year-old son James, who has a rare neurological disorder called Angelman syndrome.
He also shared some of the toughest moments he’s experienced as a father raising a son with special needs, and explained why he chose to start a foundation to help families in similar situations.
“I’m a very private person. I’ve never had staff over to my house. It’s a very safe space,” Pharrell told People magazine. “I have to believe, or I’d like to believe, that if James knew this could potentially help families and young people living with special needs, he would say, ‘What are you talking about, Dad? Why are you asking me? It’s a no-brainer.'”
Colin Farrell files for guardianship for son with Angelman syndrome
Colin Farrell is father to two sons, James, 20, and Henry, 14. (Getty Images)
In the interview, which saw him speak in detail for the first time about his home life with James, Pharrell detailed his eldest son’s childhood and revealed the events leading up to his devastating diagnosis.
“We thought he was just a quiet baby, but he wasn’t meeting the standards,” says Pharrell, brother of model Kim Bodenave and her son James. “He couldn’t sit up, he couldn’t crawl. … We knew there was something developmentally wrong, that he was behind.”
Farrell said James was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome when he was about 2 years old.
“I’ll never forget the emotion I felt when they told me my son might never walk or see his first steps. It was overwhelmingly beautiful.”
Angelman syndrome is a disease caused by a change in genes, known as a genetic change. Mayo ClinicIt can cause developmental delays, speech and balance problems, mental disorders and sometimes seizures.
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The 48-year-old actor has launched a new foundation to help families with children with special needs. (Getty Images)
Farrell said he experienced some of the most “profound” moments of his life while adjusting to the news.
“I’ll never forget the first time James walked,” he recalled. “It was two weeks before his fourth birthday. We were in the house we were living in at the time and Deborah (part of James’ care team) came upstairs and said, ‘James wants to show you something’.
“She told him to go over there and she let him go,” Farrell said, fighting back tears. “It was so moving. It was magical. I’ll never forget the look of determination on his face as he walked towards me. I was in tears. It was an amazing experience.”
“I’ll never forget the emotion I felt when they told me my son might never walk or see his first steps. It was overwhelmingly beautiful.”
Farrell also had a relationship with 14-year-old Henry Tadeusz Farrell. “Ondine Co-starring Alicia Bacleda-Cruz.
Farrell described one of the most “profound” moments of his life. (Getty Images)
Paying tribute to James, the Golden Globe-winning actor recently The Colin Farrell FoundationThis is an effort to build a support system for families with children who need special support.
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“For many years, [I’ve] “I wanted to do something to improve opportunities for families with children with special needs to get the support they deserve in all areas of their lives,” he said.
When children turn 21, “they’re kind of on their own – all the safeguards that were in place, like special education classes, are gone. So young people who should be integrating into modern society are left behind,” Farrell said.
The actor said he was “proud” of the person James had become. (Rich Polk/NBC via Getty Images)
“This is the first time I’m speaking about this and obviously the only reason I’m speaking about it is because James hasn’t been asked if he wants to do this.
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“Of course I can. I talk to James as if he’s 20 years old, perfectly fluent in English and has the cognitive abilities of his age,” he added. “But I can’t discern a concrete answer from him as to whether he’s happy with all of this. So I have to judge James’ mind and the kind of young man he is and the goodness that’s in his heart.”
