How Parenthood Transformed This Hollywood Bad Boy
By Movieguide® Contributor
Irish actor Colin Farrell explained how he got sober after learning his son had special needs and discussed the changes he has experienced since making parenting his top priority.
By 2006, Farrell had established himself as a Hollywood bad boy, thanks to his actions during his first decade in the entertainment industry. He drank incessantly, partied hard and romanced some of his top female counterparts. All of that changed, however, when his son, James, was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome, a neurological disorder that would cause him to have special needs his whole life.
“James was two when I got clean and sober. 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,” Farrell told PEOPLE. “If it wasn’t for my sobriety, I wouldn’t be able to be there for James to enjoy in the marvels of his life and support him in the way that I feel that I can.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, Angelman syndrome is a genetic condition that causes delays in development and greatly hinders a person’s ability to communicate. It becomes noticeable starting around six months of age.
“Everything’s magnified when you have a child with special needs,” Farrell said. “You’re even more aware that your child needs you around and is going to need a lot of help and support.”
“I don’t want to paint the picture that I’m the perfect dad,” he added. “I f—up left, right and center. But, at least, you have to be present to f—up. So it’s neck and neck. They’re obviously conjoined, my sobriety and the two children that I have. James and Henry are…the aspect of my life, the presences within my life that I’m most grateful for.”
Though Farrell had a reason to fight for his sobriety, his decision to give up drinking was not always easy. Beyond fighting long-standing habits, he also had to face his inner thoughts which his drinking silenced.
“After 15 or 20 years of carousing the way I caroused and drinking the way I drank, the sober world was a pretty scary world,” Farrell told The Irish Times, per Fox News.
Once he got over the initial hump, however, Farrell knew the fight was worth it. Not only was he able to be present for his kids, but he also began to enjoy life more having overcome addiction.
“The amount of energy you have to put in and the amount of lies you have to tell to keep a drug habit alive, it’s fairly significant,” the actor said in 2012. “Your whole life is a lie.”
No longer having to upkeep the façade, Farrell now puts that energy towards something much more worthwhile: The Colin Farrell Foundation. His nonprofit works be a resource for families supporting a member with special needs.
“For years, [I’ve] wanted to do something in the realm of providing greater opportunities for families who have a child with special needs, to receive the support that they deserve, basically the assistance in all areas of life,” he said.
One of the people supported by the foundation is James. Farrell hopes that the seeds he is planting now will ensure that his son will be cared for even after he is gone.
“James’ last 20, 30, 40 last years of his life, he’ll be somewhere where he feels like he belongs, where he feels like he’s safe, where he can garden, watch movies, swim in the pool, and go to the beach and just have a full and meaningful and connected life,” Farrell said. “That would be the dream.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Farrell:
Veteran actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Colin Farrell recently sat down for a Variety Actors on Actors discussion, where they talked about movies, their careers, and how grateful they are for their sobriety.
Curtis, who starred in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, drew parallels between her movie and Farrell’s — he appeared in this year’s THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN.
The actress spoke of the themes of “redemption” and “healing” in both movies. Farrell echoed her comments, saying, “The only two things I know as certainties are, we’re going to die and we’re going to make serious mistakes. Whether we atone for our mistakes [is up to us].”
Curtis then asked Farrell about his sobriety journey and the lessons he learned.
“I had no ability to hold that without being self-destructive and without living in it,” Farrell shared. “I don’t live in that now. I feel these things that we’re talking about, at times. And I consider life greatly at times. And other times, I’m as frivolous as I was when I was 6 years old on a good day.”
Later in the conversation, he asked Curtis about her legacy. She replied with thoughts about her own sobriety.
