Colin Farrell Establishes Foundation to Honor Son with Angelman Syndrome

Colin Farrell’s home is full of hustle and bustle that is far from the actor’s comfort zone.

While photography and video crews roam the hillside home in Los Angeles, Ferrell, 48, keeps an eye on his 20-year-old son James, who has Angelman syndrome, a rare neurogenetic disorder. James, who is nonverbal, sits in the backyard playing catch with his live-in caregiver. He makes eye contact with a journalist standing nearby and immediately throws a small basketball in his direction to get him to join his game.

James’ eyes light up when he sees Farrell, but it’s nothing compared to the noticeable swelling in his father’s chest as those around him respond to his son with so much love. “I want the world to be kind to James,” the actor tells PEOPLE. “I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect.”

And that, ultimately, is the driving force behind Ferrell’s decision to open up his home and talk deeply about his life with his son for the first time. Turning 21 in September, James (whom Pharrell shares with former model Kim Bordenau) will age out of many of the support systems provided for families with children with special needs.

Once your child turns 21, he’s kind of on his own,” says Farrell. “All the safeguards that have been put in place, the special ed classes, that all go away. So you are left with a young adult who needs to be an integrated part of our modern society and is more often than not left behind.

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To help fill that void, the actor is now launching the Colin Farrell Foundation to support adult children with intellectual disabilities through advocacy, education and innovative programs. “It’s the first time I’ve spoken about it, and obviously the only reason I’m speaking up is because I can’t ask James if he wants to do it,” he says.

I mean, I can. I speak to James as if he were 20 years old and have perfect fluency in the English language and age-appropriate cognitive ability. But I can’t get a definite answer from him as to whether or not he’s okay with all of this, so I want to know James’ spirit and what kind of young man he is and what quality he has. Heart

Colin Farrell added that James had “worked so hard, so hard, his whole life. “The repetition, the repetition, the balance, his swagger. When he first starts feeding himself, by the end his face looks like Jackson Pollock. But he takes it in, he feeds himself beautifully. I am proud of it. Her every day, because I think she’s magic.”

As for the foundation, Ferrell has “wanted for years to do something to provide more opportunities for families who have children with special needs to get the support they deserve, basically life. help in all areas,” he says.

James, and people like him, “earned the right to have individuality and autonomy over life, and a greater degree of community.”

For now, the actor chooses to believe that “if James knew he was pictured with me in the back garden, which is not my favorite thing to do, if we do that, those families and other Young people can help adults who live with special needs, he’ll say, ‘Dad, why are you asking me?'” Farrell added. “So we’re doing it. It’s all because of James – it’s all in his honour.”