IT SEEMED LIKE we saw Colin Farrell on TV, radio and in interviews non-stop for a year after he starred in The Killing of a Sacred Deer with Nicole Kidman and Barry Keoghan, and then all of a sudden he was just out of the public eye completely.
On a recent appearance on Ellen, the Dublin actor explained his absence, attributing it to the fact that he only worked one month during all of 2018. Well for some.
It was back-to-back for the longest time, but last year I think I worked for about a month. I was gainfully unemployed for eleven months. I was just at home with the boys. It’s hard because I travel six or seven months of the year on average and it’s tough on me, it’s tough on them, you just get home and get in their faces until the point when they’re sick of looking at me. Truly. One of them packed my bag for me when I left, the other one was waiting at the front door with my passport.
After chuckling at his story, Ellen asked what age Colin’s sons are now. Colin explained that James is fifteen, and Henry is nine. Ellen asked, “Fifteen, is that driving age?” Colin replied, “That is driving me mad age.” Then he went on to add, “No, James is not driving.”
I don’t know if James ever will drive. I’m not one to limit the potential of what he’ll experience in his life, because James has Angelman’s syndrome, which, I think… God, the world would be a lot more dangerous place if James gets behind the steering wheel.
For those who are unaware, Angelman syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the nervous system. People with this condition experience a range of symptoms, which can include delayed development, intellectual disability, severe speech impairment and problems with movement and balance. It’s also common for children with Angelman syndrome to suffer with recurrent seizures, but they also have a happy and excitable demeanor, hyperactivity and frequent smiling and laughter.
Colin Farrell has always been open about his parenting experiences, and in 2017 he told Today “The struggles of a child with special needs can be so brutal that they tear at the very fabric of your heart, but the love shared and the pure strength and heroism observed is the needle and thread that mends all tears.”
Colin is very involved in work with FAST, the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics, and at their 2017 summit and gala, he said the work that the organisation does is essential. This is not only because “It is an opportunity for each person to really feel that they are not alone in the struggle of raising a child with special needs” and that the “gala simply represents the best of humanity”, but because FAST have multiple medical opportunities in the pipeline that they hope can significantly improve the lives of those with Angelman syndrome in the coming years.
Colin said FAST “is a world of love and compassion in the face of great struggle and ultimately a song to the fortitude of human spirit”, before saying that each year he is “humbled and grateful for the community and for the beauty of the spirits of our children.”
Although it doesn’t seem likely that James Farrell will be getting behind the wheel in the next couple of years, like Colin said earlier, he’s optimistic and doesn’t want to rule anything out.
I never know. It’s a world of possibility.
Colin also spoke about St. Patrick’s Day, and called some of the American customs ‘ridiculous’.
Finally, someone said it.
I’m Irish and I know a little bit about the story of St. Patrick who came and brought Christianity to the great island of Ireland, but I never saw green beer until I came to America. Never heard of such a ridiculous thing as a green beer, it’s nothing to do with the look of a beer, it’s all to do with the taste and the effect. We don’t dye the rivers green. It’s not a big deal as it is here [in America]. We don’t need an excuse to get pissed. That’s a Tuesday, y’know.
Ellen then shared a clip of trad music being played in a pub and said, “This is how it’s celebrated in Ireland.” Colin was like, “Looks about right… In some parts of the country.” If only she saw what St. Patrick’s Day looks like to a teenager.
