Colin Farrell reveals two questions he asked the doctor upon learning of his son's Angelman syndrome

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Colin Farrell recalled the two heart-wrenching questions he asked the doctor when his elder son James was first diagnosed with Angelman syndrome. 

The Irish actor, 48, is launching the Colin Farrell Foundation to support adults with intellectual disability through advocacy, education, and innovative programs.

Speaking to People, the ‘Phone Booth’ actor opened up about his emotions when he first got to know about his son’s diagnosis.

Colin Farrell talks about his son’s condition

Colin Farrell shared that he initially did not notice any symptoms but began to have concerns when James, 20, wasn't “hitting benchmarks,” as per People.

James was initially misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy. However, when James was around two and a half years old, a pediatric neurologist raised concerns and suggested testing for Angelman syndrome.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Angelman syndrome is a condition caused by a change in a gene, called a genetic change. Angelman syndrome causes delayed development, problems with speech and balance, mental disability, and, sometimes, seizures.”

When his son tested positive for Angelman Syndrome, Farrell was understandably anxious. In his interview with People, he shared the first two questions he asked the doctor.

Farrell recalled, “I remember the first two questions I asked were, 'What’s the life expectancy and how much pain is involved?'"

Farrell added, sharing the doctor’s response, “And the doctor said, 'Life expectancy, as far as we can tell, is the same for you and for me, and pain, no.'”

Colin Farrell shares his son’s journey with Angelman syndrome

Speaking to the outlet, Colin Farrell recalled his son’s journey, sharing, "James was a very silent baby. And I just thought I’d hit the lottery, and he was chill — and he’s anything but.” The actor shares James with his ex, Kim Bordenave, 52. 

Farrell is also the father of another son, Henry, 15, whom he shares with his ‘Ondine’ costar Alicja Bachleda-Curus.

Farrell further revealed, "If James had been my second child and not my first, I would’ve known sooner, because when Henry was born and I heard him cooing, I was like, 'A baby’s supposed to coo?'"

He continued, noting that while James used to cry when he was upset, "he wasn’t hitting benchmarks. He couldn’t sit up. He wasn’t crawling.”

At that time, James was first examined and misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy. “It was a common misdiagnosis because it shared a lot of the same characteristics. And that was a downer for sure,” the star revealed. 

When James was two and a half years old, “the doctor saw that James was laughing a lot and doing this movement [he waves his hands]." He explained, "One of the characteristics of Angelman syndrome is outbreaks of laughter.”

Moreover, Farrell added that Angelman syndrome involves seizures, which “is one of the things that parents struggle with greatly.”

He continued, "Thankfully, James hasn’t had a breakthrough seizure now in about 10 or 11 years, but I’ve been in the back of ambulances, I’ve been in the hospital with him. I’ve done Diastat [a sedative] up his rectum to get him out of a seizure that lasted longer than three minutes."

"Finding the right amount of medication that doesn’t have adverse effects — that’s all very tricky business," he mentioned.

The ‘True Detective’ star is now launching his Colin Farrell Foundation to provide support, education, and advocacy for adults with intellectual disabilities.

He shared, “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.”

However, he admitted that his son “has worked so hard all his life, so hard.” He continued, “Repetition, repetition, balance, his jerky gait. When he started feeding himself for the first time, his face looked 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,” gushed the star. 

The ‘Sugar’ star recalled that his son took his first steps when he was four, explaining, “I knew they [James's carers] were working on walking. I stood over there, and when she let him go, he just walked right to me.”

“It was so profound. It was magic,” gushed the proud parent, before adding, “I’ll never forget just the face of determination on him as he walked toward me. He took, like, six steps, and I burst into tears.”