Colin Farrell revealed on Friday that he is planning on putting his adult disabled son into a long-term care facility as he opened up about his condition.
After reinventing himself from younger wild bad boy image, the actor has maintained a private family life and has not spoken about his son in great detail until recently.
He previously explained how son James, 21, was heartbreakingly misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy before doctors eventually confirmed he was suffering from Angelman syndrome.
Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that primarily affects the nervous system, causes severe physical and intellectual disability.
Colin shares James with his ex Kim Bordenave who he dated from 2001 until 2003.
He also shares son Henry, 15, with his Ondine co-star Alicja Bachleda-Curuś, whom he dated from from approximately late 2008 to early 2010.
After reinventing himself from younger wild bad boy image, the actor has maintained a private family life, but is father to two sons James, 21, (pictured) and Henry, 15
He shares son Henry, 15, with his Ondine co-star Alicja Bachleda-Curuś, whom he dated from from approximately late 2008 to early 2010 (pictured at the Oscars in 2023)
And despite keeping his family out of the limelight and not being with the mothers of either of his children, Colin has an active presence in both their lives.
Sharing key career moments with them, the star has brought Henry as a plus one to his premieres and his attendance at the Oscars in 2023.
Giving his sons a shoutout at the Golden Gloves that same year for his role in the Banshees of Inisherin, he called them the ‘loves of his life’.
Discussing how his sons try to influence the roles he takes on he joked on The Ellen Degeneres Show: ‘They’re sick of me being a bad guy. Which apparently, reading between the lines, leads me to believe that they think I’m okay.’
Colin has also credited James for the reason behind him getting sober in 2006, calling fatherhood his ‘greatest triumph’.
After James’ birth in 2003, Colin checked himself into rehab in 2006 after filming Miami Vice.
James was a ‘big, big part of me putting the bottle down,’ Farrell previously told People magazine.
‘I was in no condition to be a friend never mind the father of a child which such exacting needs. So if it wasn’t for my sobriety, I wouldn’t be able to be there for James and enjoy in the marvels of his life and support him in the way that I feel that can… ‘
Colin is planning on putting his adult disabled son James, 21, into a long-term care facility as he opened up about his condition Angelman syndrome
Shortly before James turned 18, Colin and Kim filed to obtain a conservatorship of him, noting he still needed help with tasks like getting dressed and making meals (pictured James & Kim)
Colin pictured with Alicja at the Golden Globes in 2010 shortly before they split
Colin shares James with his ex Kim Bordenave who he dated from 2001 until 2003 (pictured February 2003)
Describing his son as ‘magic’, Farrell added he ‘burst into tears’ when James took his first steps when he was four years old.
The star spoke about his son’s diagnosis for the first time at the 2007 Special Olympic Games in Shanghai, China.
He gushed: ‘He has enriched my life… but I don’t want to minimise the trials that so many families go through; the fear, consternation, frustration, and pain…
‘When you’re the parent of a child with special needs, it’s important to feel that you’re not alone.’
He also added that he wanted the world to be ‘kind’ to his son.
Shortly before James turned 18, Colin and Kim filed to obtain a conservatorship of him, noting he still needed help with tasks like getting dressed and making meals.
He later went on to reveal that he and James’s mother make sure to share in the smallest victories and enjoy the milestones whatever age they happen – including James’s first words aged six, being able to feed himself at 19, and getting his seizures under control.
In 2024, the actor launched the Colin Farrell Foundation in honour of his son in California, with the goal to role it out across the US and eventually Ireland, where he is originally from.
The foundation aims to raise support for adult children with intellectual disabilities and aiding education and advocacy programmes.
While Colin leads the foundation, he is also supported by CEO Paula Evans, who previously established FAST – The Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics.
Giving his sons a shoutout at the Golden Gloves that same year for his role in the Banshees of Inisherin, he called them the ‘loves of his life’
Colin has also credited James for the reason behind him getting sober in 2006, calling fatherhood his ‘greatest triumph’
Read More Colin Farrell shares rare glimpse of life with son James, 20, who has genetic disorder Angelman syndrome: ‘I want the world to be kind to him’ 
On Friday Colin explained his son will go into a long-term care facility in order to have control over his care while they are still alive and to give him a sense of community.
Speaking to Candis Magazine, Colin, 48, revealed he and his ex Kim Bordenave have made a decision and plan to settle James into a long-term care facility.
He said: ‘It’s tricky, some parents will say: “I want to take care of my child myself.” And I respect that.
‘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?
‘Then he’s a ward of the state and he goes where? We’d have no say in it.’
He and Kim are hoping 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’.
Colin continued: ‘We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life, where he feels connected.’
The Phone Booth actor previously discussed his first-born son’s condition and said medical advice was sought after James missed developmental milestones and struggled to sit up or crawl as a baby.
Colin explained how many sufferers of the rare syndrome are often misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy due to both conditions having similar symptoms.
He told People: ‘[James] couldn’t sit up. He wasn’t crawling. I think he was a year and a half when we took him to get really checked out, and he was diagnosed as having cerebral palsy.’
Cerebral palsy is the name for a set of conditions affecting movement and co-ordination stemming from a problem with the brain that takes place before, during or soon after birth.
Difficulty speaking, swallowing or seeing — along with learning difficulties — can also be symptoms.
Colin said: ‘It was a common misdiagnosis, because it shared a lot of the same characteristics. And that was a downer for sure.’
WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY?
Cerebral palsy is the name for a set of conditions affecting movement and co-ordination stemming from a problem with the brain that takes place before, during or soon after birth.
Symptoms are not typically obvious immediately after a child is born — but instead normally become noticeable after two or three years.
They include delays in reaching development milestones, such as:
not sitting by eight months; not walking by 18 months;appearing too stiff or too floppy;walking on tip-toes;weak arms or legs;fidgety, jerky or clumsy movements;random, uncontrolled movements;
Difficulty speaking, swallowing or seeing — along with learning difficulties — can also be symptoms.
Cerebral palsy symptoms can be caused by a number of things and are not necessarily an indication of the condition, which can occur if a child’s brain does not develop normally while in the womb, or is damaged during or soon after birth.
Causes include bleeding in the baby’s brain, reduced blood and oxygen supply, infection caught by the mother while pregnant, asphyxiation during a difficult birth, meningitis or a serious head injury – though the precise cause is often not clear.
There is no cure currently, but physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and medication are often used as treatment.
Each person living with the condition is affected in a different way, but generally speaking most children live into adult life and some can live for many decades.
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The Oscar nominee revealed that, when James was only about two and a half years old, a pediatric neurologist suggested he be tested for Angelman syndrome.
Recalling the moment he received the diagnosis, he shared: ‘I remember the first two questions I asked were, “What’s the life expectancy and how much pain is involved?”
‘And the doctor said, “Life expectancy, as far as we can tell, is the same for you and for me, and pain, no.”‘
A doctor had noticed an unusual symptom that prompted him to test for Angelman syndrome.
Colin explained: ‘One of the characteristics of Angelman syndrome is outbreaks of laughter. And the doctor saw that James was laughing a lot and doing this movement [he waves his hands],’ the father-of-two shared.
Angelman syndrome is also characterized by seizures, which Colin – who also shares son Henry Tadeusz, 15, with Polish actress Alicja Bachleda-Curus, 41 – said is ‘one of the things that parents struggle with greatly’.
He added: ‘Thankfully, James hasn’t had a breakthrough seizure now in about 10 or 11 years, but I’ve been in the back of ambulances, I’ve been in the hospital with him.
‘I’ve done Diastat [a sedative] up his rectum to get him out of a seizure that lasted longer than three minutes. Finding the right amount of medication that doesn’t have adverse effects — that’s all very tricky business.’
The actor is now launching the Colin Farrell Foundation to provide support, education, and advocacy for adults with intellectual disabilities.
‘This is the first time I’ve spoken about it, and obviously the only reason I’m speaking is I can’t ask James if he wants to do this,’ he said.
The proud dad stated that his eldest son ‘has worked so hard all his life, so hard’.
He said: ‘Repeтιтion, repeтιтion, balance, his jerky gait. When he started feeding himself for the first time, his face looks like a Jackson Pollock by the end of it. But he gets it in, he feeds himself beautifully. I’m proud of him every day, because I just think he’s magic.’
Colin also described watching his son take his first steps just before his fourth birthday.
Detailing the ‘profound’ moment to People, Colin said: ‘I knew they [James’s carers] were working on walking. And I stood over there, and she let him go, and he just came to [me].
‘It was so profound. It was magic.
‘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.’
James’s condition is severe enough that he is nonverbal and requires the help of a live-in caregiver to accomplish his day-to-day tasks.
When James was four, Colin went public with his Angelman Syndrome, saying his son had demonstrated ‘amazing courage’ in the face of his condition.
What is Angelman syndrome?
Angelman syndrome is a genetic condition that affects the nervous system and causes severe physical and learning disabilities.
A person with Angelman syndrome will have a near-normal life expectancy, but they will need support throughout their life.
Characteristics of Angelman syndrome
A child with Angelman syndrome will begin to show signs of delayed development at around six to 12 months of age, such as being unable to sit unsupported or make babbling noises.
Later, they may not speak at all, or may only be able to say a few words. However, most children with Angelman syndrome will be able to communicate using gestures, signs or other systems.
The movement of a child with Angelman syndrome will also be affected. They may have difficulty walking because of issues with balance and co-ordination (ataxia). Their arms may tremble or make jerky movements, and their legs may be stiff.
Several distinctive behaviours are ᴀssociated with Angelman syndrome. These include:
* frequent laughter and smiling, often with little stimulus
* being easily excitable, often flapping the hands
* being restless (hyperactive)
* having a short attention span
* trouble sleeping and needing less sleep than other children
* a particular fascination with water
