Oscar-nominated Irish actor Colin Farrell has opened up about one of the most difficult decisions of his life – placing his 21-year-old son, James, into a long-term care facility.
James, who was born in 2003, was misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy as a toddler. It wasn’t until he was around two and a half that doctors correctly identified Angelman syndrome – a rare genetic disorder that affects the nervous system and causes severe physical and learning disabilities.
Nonverbal and needing round-the-clock support, James’s life expectancy is near-normal, but he will always require assistance. “It’s tricky,” Colin said in a recent interview with Candis Magazine.
“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 has a car crash? Then James is on his own.”
Colin and Kim made the proactive choice to help James transition into care while they’re still alive and healthy.
“We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life, where he feels connected,” Colin said.
The Batman star has long been open about the challenges and triumphs of raising James. He’s spoken movingly about the misdiagnosis, the emotional toll, and the small victories, from James’s first steps at age four to learning to feed himself by age 19.
“We share in the smallest victories,” he told InStyle. “When James took his first steps… I nearly broke in half.”
Colin also revealed how James was the reason he chose to go sober in 2006 after years of struggling with addiction. “I wasn’t suicidal, but I never had much of a will to live a long time,” he once said. “Now I want to watch my son grow up, be his friend and his father.”
In 2021, Colin and Kim jointly filed for James’s conservatorship to continue managing his personal care, medical needs, and legal decisions.
The actor has also founded the Colin Farrell Foundation, aimed at supporting adult children with intellectual disabilities – a project close to his heart that grew out of his concern for James as he transitioned into adulthood.
Through the years, Farrell has used his platform to raise awareness about Angelman syndrome and highlight the experiences of families navigating life with children who have special needs.
At the 2007 Special Olympics in Shanghai, he decided to speak publicly about James for the first time, saying, “He has enriched my life… but I don’t want to minimise the trials that so many families go through.”
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