Having a special needs kid likely saved actor Colin Farrell’s life!
The Irish hunk, 48, recently revealed how his son James’ battle with the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome left him a profoundly changed man.
James, who’s now 20 and nonverbal, was diagnosed as a toddler, sparking Colin to clean up his act.
“James was two when I got clean and sober,” says the Banshees of Inisherin star. “He was a big part of me putting the bottle down. I was in no condition to be a friend, never mind a father of a child with such exacting needs.”
At one point, Colin says a therapist asked him to write down every drug he took in a week.
The jaw-dropping list included 20 hits of ecstasy, four grams of cocaine, six grams of speed, half an ounce of hash, three bottles of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, 12 bottles of red wine and 60 pints of beer, along with smoking two packs of cigarettes a day!
But having James with now ex wife Kim Bordenave forced him to change his ways.
“If it wasn’t for my sobriety, I wouldn’t be able to be there for James and enjoy the marvels of his life and support him,” he explains.
He’s also launching the Colin Farrell Foundation to provide support for adults who have intellectual disabilities through advocacy, education and innovative programs.
“Colin says that being sober can be ‘pretty scary’ at times,” says a friend. “But having James has made his life so much fuller.”
