Inside Colin Farrell's bond with rarely seen son James, who 'saved' his life

At the height of his addiction, Colin revealed he was drinking three bottles of Jack Daniels whiskey, 12 bottles of red wine, and 60 pints of beer per week, as well as using drugs, but he gave it all up to be there for James.

"When I went into rehab for the first time, it was in 2006; they were all talking about 'higher power' and all this, and I was just a bit too angry to be dealing with the idea of higher powers and stuff," he said on Ray Darcy's RTE Radio One show in 2024.

"But I very clearly made James my higher power. I had pictures of James on the cover of my binder," he continued. "I made James my higher power, and I knew that all children need their parents, and I knew James needed care, but I also knew that he needed a little bit more than most."

Colin added: "He kind of saved my life in a way, man."

James was two years old when Colin got sober, and while he gave up alcohol and drugs because of James' "health issues," his sobriety gave him a new outlook on life.

"All children need their parents – or a parent or grandparent or somebody – to care for them, and one of the things James taught me was to access within myself a desire to live, even if it was initially more about me thinking I wanted to live to be around for him," he told the Daily Mail in 2024.

Colin revealed that James and his youngest son Henry have helped him become a better man. "Both my boys have taught me. I feel they've raised me more than I could ever raise them. That sounds twee but it's true," he added to the Daily Mail.

"Whatever man I am today has a lot to do with my parents and my upbringing, sure, but it's also very much to do with what my boys have asked of me."

While James faces many challenges in his daily life, he doesn't let his disability stop him from having fun with his dad. "James is incredibly strong, brave and self-willed. He works so hard to achieve the physical capabilities that most of us nail by the time we're two or three," he explained.

"But he's lovely. He's funny as [expletive], cheeky as anything. He's got a smile that would light up Manhattan – he has such a gorgeous spirit, and he's loads of fun to be around."

"He's nothing but a gift," he said in a 2008 interview. "He's, as far as I'm concerned, exactly the way he should be."

In 2024, Colin launched the Colin Farrell Foundation in honor of James. The nonprofit is "committed to transforming the lives of individuals and families living with intellectual disability through education, awareness, advocacy, and innovative programs."

"Once your child turns 21, they're kind of on their own," Colin previously told People. "All the safeguards that are put in place, special ed classes, that all goes 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."

Colin said that "for years" he 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."