Colin Farrell thinks his son is “magic” — however he’s additionally conscious of the complexities of elevating a toddler with a incapacity.
On Wednesday, the “Sugar” star opened as much as Folks in a video profile about his son James, 20, who has an mental incapacity referred to as Angelman syndrome, a uncommon neurogenetic situation that additionally impacts his mobility.
“He’s bold as brass,” Farrell mentioned whereas describing James’ character almost 12 minutes into the video. “And he’s cheeky as they come, but he’s just a damn fine young man.”
But, regardless of clearly adoring his son, the actor mentioned that elevating a toddler with a incapacity is difficult and that he typically feels “guilt” when he does “nice things” for himself.
“It’s so all-encompassing that if you do something nice for yourself, or give yourself a massage, or go on a little two-day road trip with your husband or your wife, you feel like you’re being irresponsible, you feel like you’re neglecting your child,” Farrell mentioned.
Now Farrell needs to assist present a spot for fogeys and their disabled youngsters to get a little bit self-care.
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The “Banshees of Inisherin” star informed Folks that he’s launching the Colin Farrell Basis, which supports adults with intellectual disabilities through advocacy, education and programming. Farrell was inspired to start the foundation for a number of reasons, but one is that his son is approaching adulthood.
“Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own,” Farrell 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.”
However Farrell mentioned he was impressed to create the inspiration because of the work of the “beautiful Paul Newman,” who used his Newson’s Personal merchandise to fund his “Hole in the Wall Gang” — a camp for youths with severe diseases.
Farrell explained that he doesn’t just want to help adults with disabilities, but also disabled kids and their whole families, by providing them with a little respite in the form of his own camp.
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Farrell envisioned that the camp would have “free-standing chalets, there would be an outdoor cinema screen, and there would be a rec room, there would be a swimming pool outside, there would be a couple little free-standing wooden massage huts that the parents could go [to] and have a little bit of R&R,” he said.
“So the parents could have a good time, they could get massages, they could splash about, they could sit in the jacuzzi, and their child would be doing activities during the day, and then at night, we could all come together there’d be a meal shared and cinema under the stars.”
Parents of disabled kids should get “the support that they deserve,” he said.
“I obviously have a certain amount of means, having had a career in film for 20-plus years now,” Farrell said. “And we still struggle in finding the support that James deserves and should rightfully have.”
Ultimately, the “In Bruges” star said, he wants all families with a disabled child to have better access to “intervention, therapeutics, [and] social environments that their child can feel like they belong within … and find a world of meaning and a life of connection.”
