James Martin’s father, Ivan, is incredibly proud of his son, noting that he approaches everything with enthusiasm and is thrilled that his efforts have been rewarded.
“He has spent his life pushing boundaries. People are often quick to say, ‘You can’t do this, and you can’t do that’… He’s proven them wrong time and time again,” he said.
Martin is the first person with Down syndrome to win both a BAFTA and an Oscar, and he takes pride in his accomplishments. “It doesn’t matter if you have Down syndrome, as long as you’re doing what you love. I do what I can to be funny,” he said.
His girlfriend supports him wholeheartedly, describing his win as a magical moment. “It shows everyone that people with disabilities can achieve just as much as anyone else,” she said.
For the past 10 years, Martin has worked at Starbucks.
His coworkers and manager are proud of Martin’s acting success and showed their support by putting up good-luck posters in the chain’s city stores.
Despite his newfound fame, Martin’s father shared that he doesn’t see his son quitting his barista job anytime soon.
