Colin Farrell wishes for kindness and respect from everyone for his son James
The actor is starting a foundation to provide advocacy, instruction, and creative programs for adult children with intellectual disabilities.
Colin Farrell was not comfortable opening up his house and having a detailed conversation about life with his son James, who has Angelman syndrome, for the first time.
However, 48-year-old Farrell was prepared to announce the launch of his foundation, which would assist people with intellectual disabilities like James, in honor of his 20-year-old son.
The actor shares the child with his former partner, model Kim Bordenave. In this week’s cover story, the actor tells PEOPLE, “It feels like the right time; it’s exciting.”
“I want my son to have kindness in the world. I want everyone to be respectful and polite to him.
James “has experienced an incredible 20 years. He puts up a great deal of effort to meet the standards that all regular people who are free from cognitive impairments or developmental disabilities encounter,” adds Farrell.
“And he’s performed amazing. He’s a cheerful, well-adjusted young guy. He is very remarkable.” But with regard to his future, “my fear would be, God forbid, if and when something happens to James’s mother or me,
that he would be 30 or 40 and have to go into some kind of institute or residential care, and there’d be nobody to call over and take him out to have lunch and all that,” Farrell says. “He is entitled to more individualism and independence on his own terms.
