Colin Farrell’s Rare Comments on Son James’ Angelman Syndrome

Colin Farrell is gracing the cover of People magazine, giving a rare glimpse into his life with his son James.

For his whole life, James, 20, has been living with the neurogenetic disorder Angelman syndrome, but this is one of the only times Colin has spoken about it.

James is also seen in rare video and photos with his dad for the feature.

Farrell, 48, told the outlet, “I want the world to be kind to James. I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, the disorder can cause “delays in development, problems with speech and balance, mental disability, and, sometimes, seizures.”

James, who is nonverbal, has inspired Colin to launch the Colin Farrell Foundation, which provides support to adult children with special needs.

“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,” Farrell 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,” Colin added. “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 noted that his son “has worked so hard all of his life,” elaborating, “Repetition, repetition, balance, his jerky gait. When he started feeding himself for the first time, his face looks like a Jackson Pollock by the end of it. But he gets it in, he feeds himself beautifully. I’m proud of him every day, because I just think he’s magic."

Colin hopes his foundation will fill a void in society. He explained, “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.”

“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 noted.

While Colin has opted to keep his life “very private,” he allowed cameras into his home to bring awareness to the Colin Farrell Foundation. He commented, “If James knew getting his photograph in the back garden with me, which is not my favorite thing to do, 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.”

Farrell is also the father of another son, Henry.

“Extra’s” Melvin Robert recently spoke with Colin about fatherhood as he was promoting limited series “Sugar.”

Colin explained the importance of encouraging his sons’ emotional health, saying, “You just want to… create an environment where they can come to you if they want to… if they need to share… It’s just making yourself available, that’s all.”