Colin Farrell has always performed his most important role with quiet pride – being a devoted father to his 21-year-old son, James.
Recently, the 48-year-old Irish star shared a deeply personal decision that shook fans and tugged at hearts worldwide. The decision has to do with his beloved son, and cannot have been easy to make.
Keep reading to learn more.
In June 2003, award-winning actor Colin Farrell led a team of athletes into the stadium at Croke Park for the opening ceremony of the 2003 Special Olympics.
“We were at our best,” Farrell, 48, tells the Irish Independent. “…they were the stars of the story. There’s nowhere in the world that I’ve experienced anything like it.”
At the time, he hadn’t known that he’d soon be the father of a child with special needs.
‘Chill baby’
On September 12, 2003, the star of The Gentlemen became a first-time father to James, who he shares with his ex, model Kim Bordenave.
“He’ll always know who his dad is. Fatherhood for me is the ultimate success,” Farrell told the Irish Examiner in 2004.
By the time James was about 18 months old, his parents noticed that he “just wasn’t hitting benchmarks.”
“I thought he was just a chill baby,” the In Bruges actor said. “He wasn’t sitting up or crawling. We knew something was up developmentally.”
Angelman syndrome
In 2007, Farrell revealed his son, earlier misdiagnosed as having cerebral palsy, was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Angelman syndrome is a rare condition that causes “delayed development, problems with speech and balance, mental disability, and, sometimes, seizures.” Symptoms include intellectual disability, little or no speech and difficulty walking, the clinic notes. There is no cure.
“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.’”
‘Looks like Tom Selleck’
In September 2024, James turned 21.
“He’s cheeky and he’s bold and he’s bright, and he knows exactly what he wants,” The Batman actor tells the Irish Independent. “He’s strong now, he’s six foot. He was always like a beanpole, but he’s filled out a bit, got a lovely big Ronnie (moustache) on him. He looks like Tom Selleck! And he’s in a really good place, and I’m delighted that he’s ready to get out in the world now and begin to be able to spread his wings.”
Helping his son as he transitions into greater independence, The Lobster actor launched the Colin Farrell Foundation, that aims to transform “the lives of individuals and families living with intellectual disability through education, awareness, advocacy, and innovative programs.”
“Once your child turns 21, they’re kind of on their own. All the safeguards that are put in place, special ed classes, that all goes away,” the Miami Vice star told People in 2024, adding that he wants the “world to be kind to James,” and treat him with respect.
Planning for the future
For over two decades, the actor was hands-on – changing diapers, feeding, and attending every therapy session.
“I’ve done Diastat (also known as Valium, a sedative) up his rectum to get him out of a seizure that lasted longer than three minutes,” the actor shared with People in a separate interview. “Finding the right amount of medication that doesn’t have adverse effects – that’s all very tricky business.”
And recently, the doting father revealed in an interview with Candis magazine that he and Bordenave made the heartbreaking decision to place James into long-term care.
“It’s tricky – some parents will say, ‘I want to take care of my child myself’, and I respect that,” Farrell said, per the Independent, adding the decision to seek long-term care was spurred not by exhaustion, but by foresight. “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.”
Now, Farrell and his former partner are looking for “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 explained. “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.”
By placing James in long-term care, Farrell isn’t stepping away – he’s stepping up to give his son the care he deserves. The decision underscores an often-overlooked truth: loving someone means ensuring they’re in the best hands, even when those hands aren’t yours.