Colin Farrell has opened up for the first time about his son’s battle with a rare neuro-genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome. Farrell revealed James, 4, “took his first steps about six weeks ago, and it was four years in the making.” Farrell tells the Irish Independent, “It was incredibly emotional. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”

Farrell adds, “The only time I’m reminded that there is something different about him — that he has some deviation of what is perceived to be normal — is when I see him with other 4-year-olds. Then I go, ‘Oh yeah,’ and it comes back to me. But from day one I felt that he’s the way he’s meant to be.”

Farrell says he doesn’t think of Angelman Syndrome — which is characterized by developmental delay, speech impairment and frequent laughter and smiling — as a disability. “[I’m] incredibly blessed to have him in my life.”

Source: Star

Colin Farrell has been the toast of Canada this week, after lending a homeless man in Toronto a hand.

A source close to Farrell tells Usmagazine.com that the 31-year-old actor met the man he only knows as David in 2003 when he was filming The Recruit. “Colin had become friendly with David because David was living on the streets near where Colin was living during filming,” Farrell’s pal explains.

At the time, a local radio station was offering $1,000 to any listener who could get Farrell into the studio, a situation that was causing the actor grief. Seeing a way to remedy two dilemmas, the source tells Us that Farrell approached David with a deal: come to the radio station with me, and you get the grand.

In Toronto again last week promoting his new movie, Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream, Farrell again crossed paths with David, who is still homeless. The Farrell source tells Us that David was sleeping across the street from the Intercontinental Hotel, where Farrell was doing interviews for the movie. When the area became swarmed with press, Farrell invited David to hop into a car with him to escape the crowds. As the two caught up, David revealed that his sleeping bag had been stolen. Farrell took David to a camping store and equipped him with pants, socks, shoes, hats, warm boots, a sleeping bag and a backpack to put everything in.

Following the shopping trip, the source tells Us that Colin gave David some money “for first and last month’s rent and then dropped him off at Hemingway’s [a local restaurant] for a burger.”

Despite what has been reported elsewhere, the source says that Farrell did not offer help because it was David’s birthday, or take the man to a Chanel party later that evening.

Farrell is surprised by the attention he’s gotten, his friend tells Us: “He doesn’t do it for publicity. When he does premieres in Ireland it always goes to charity. He’s always doing things like that but he never talks about it. People dwell on the bad boy, but he’s a nice, normal person and financially in a position to help people.”

Source: US Magazine