Colin Farrell broke down when his son James learned to walk after his Angelman syndrome diagnosis.
The actor, 48, detailed the “profound” moment to People, which occurred just ahead of James’ 4th birthday.
The little one’s occupational therapist told Farrell they had “something to show” him, the Oscar nominee said in his cover story interview, published Wednesday.
“I knew they were working on walking. And I stood over there, and she let him go, and he just came to [me],” he told the outlet, getting emotional.
“It was so profound. It was magic,” Farrell recalled of the “overwhelmingly beautiful” milestone.
“I’ll never forget just the face of determination on him as he walked toward me,” the “Total Recall” star continued. “He took, like, six steps, and I burst into tears.”
Farrell, who shared rare details about his and ex Kim Bordenave’s 21-year-old son to promote his new foundation, said James was initially diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was 1 as it shares “a lot of the same characteristics” with Angelman syndrome.
The toddler was “really checked out” at the time due to not sitting up or crawling.
James received his correct diagnosis for the rare neurogenetic disorder at age 2, with Farrell gushing that his eldest child has “worked so hard all his life.”
The Golden Globe nominee became a dad in 2003 when James was born, followed by son Henry, 14, with Alicja Bachleda-Curuś six years later.
In May 2021, Farrell and Bordenave filed for conservatorship of James.
“Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own,” he said on Wednesday. “All the safeguards that are put in place … go 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.”
The “True Detective” alum created the Colin Farrell Foundation to combat this.
“[I] for years 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.
Farrell added that James and individuals like him have “earned the right to have a greater degree of individuality and autonomy on life and a greater degree of community.”
