Colin Farrell Explains the Difficult Decision to Place His Son in Permanent Care

Colin Farrell is handling his problems the best way he knows how, even though he knows certain parents may disagree.

Farrell’s oldest son James, now 21, was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome as young as when he was 2. The condition is characterized by slow development, both physically and intellectually, and also affects balance and speech.

For years, the ‘Penguin’ star, 48, and his ex, model Kim Bordenave, have dedicated time to his care, but recently, they’ve made the decision to move him into a permanent care facility.

Colin Farrell Explains Reason He Made Big Decision For His Son James

Farrell further elaborated on his decision to move James into a long-term care facility in his interview with Candis magazine. Anyone can guess that making the decision to send your child away is not going to come easy, but for the ‘Penguin’ star, it was trickier still.

“It’s tricky – some parents will say, ‘I want to take care of my child myself’, and I respect that,” said Farrell.

“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?” he added. “[He’d be] a ward of the state. And he goes where? We’d have no say in it.”

Farrell explained that he and Kim are currently trying 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.”

“We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life, where he feels connected,” Farrell shared of his son. “By going out in the van every day and going to the supermarket and doing the shopping together. By going to the beach, museums, movies, all that stuff. Just a connected life.”

All About the Foundation Colin Farrell Launched On Behalf of His Son James

Last year, the Oscar-nominated star of ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ launched the Colin Farrell Foundation to provide support to adults having intellectual disabilities.

Farrell and his ex Kim, 53, filed for conservatorship for their son in 2021 shortly before his 18th birthday.

“Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own,” Farrell told People in Aug. 2024. “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.”

The star also touched on his initial reaction to hearing of James’ diagnosis, saying, “I remember the first two questions I asked were, ‘What’s the life expectancy and how much pain is involved?’” Farrell explained. “And the doctor said, ‘Life expectancy, as far as we can tell, is the same for you and for me, and pain, no.’”

Farrell shares another son, 14-year-old Henry Tadeusz Farrell, with Polish actress Alicja Bachleda-Curuś.

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