Colin Farrell has said he will put his son James, who has Angelman syndrome, into a long-term care facility.
The Oscar-nominated star of The Banshees of Inisherin, who recently won a Golden Globe for HBO series The Penguin, has previously opened up about his 21-year-old son’s diagnosis.
Angelman syndrome is a rare disorder that affects the nervous system and causes developmental delays amongst other issues. Last year, Farrell launched a foundation to provide support for people and families with intellectual disabilities in honour of James.
Now. he’s revealed that he and his ex-partner Kim Bordenave have come to the “tricky” decision to put their son into a facility due to fears he would be left alone if anything should happen to them.
“It’s tricky – some parents will say, ‘I want to take care of my child myself’, and I respect that,” Farrell, 48, told Candis Magazine.
“But my horror would be, what if I have a heart attack tomorrow, and, God forbid, James’ mother, Kim, has a car crash and she’s taken too – and then James is on his own?”
Farrell said that James would then become “a ward of the state”, adding: “And he goes where? We’d have no say in it.”
The actor said that he and Bordenave are exploring options and hope to “find somewhere we like where he can go now, while we’re still alive and healthy, that we can go and visit, and we can take him out sometimes”.
He continued: “We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life, where he feels connected.”
Farrell previously spoke out on the fact that when James turned 21 in September 2024, they would no longer be eligible for the affordable and accessible programmes provided to families with children who have special needs.
“Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own,” Farrell 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.”
In 2024, Farrell reflected on the “profound” moment he watched his son walk for the first time, telling People: “I knew they [James’s carers] were working on walking,” the Irish actor said. “And I stood over there, and she let him go, and he just came to [me]. It was so profound. It was magic.”
He continued: “I’ll never forget just the face of determination on him as he walked toward me. He took, like, six steps, and I burst into tears.”
Farrell has another son, 14-year-old Henry Tadeusz Farrell, with Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.
