Colin Farrell explains ‘tricky’ decision to put son James, 21, with Angelman syndrome in long-term care facility

by Eric Todisco

Colin Farrell explains ‘tricky’ decision to put son James, 21, with Angelman syndrome in long-term care facility

Colin Farrell is elaborating on a big parenting decision he made.

The “Penguin” star, 48, revealed in a new interview with Candis magazine that he and his ex, model Kim Bordenave, put their 21-year-old son James, who suffers from Angelman syndrome, in a long-term care facility.

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

Colin Farrell with his son James. Warner Bros

“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 said the former couple are 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”.

Colin Farrell at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards. FilmMagic

Colin Farrell’s son James. Kim Bordenave/Instagram

James Farrell has Angelman syndrome. Kim Bordenave/Instagram

“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.”

Angelman syndrome is a rare neurogenetic disorder that causes delayed development and problems with movement, balance and speech, according to the Mayo Clinic.

James was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome when he was just 2 1/2 years old.

Colin Farrell with Kim Bordenave and his sister Claudine at the 2003 Academy Awards. Getty Images

 

Colin Farrell and Kim Bordenave in LA in February 2003. GC Images

Farrell and Bordenave, 53, filed for a conservatorship of their son in 2021 before his 18th birthday.

Last year, the actor launched the Colin Farrell Foundation, which aims to provide support for adult children with intellectual disabilities, in James’ honor.

James Farrell. Kim Bordenave/Instagram

“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.”

Colin Farrell at the “Killing of a Sacred Deer” premiere at the 61st BFI London Film Festival in 2017. WireImage

The “Banshees of Inisherin” star also recalled learning of James’ diagnosis and how he reacted to the news from the doctors.

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

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Colin Farrell explains ‘tricky’ decision to put son James, 21, with Angelman syndrome in long-term care facility

Colin Farrell Files for Conservatorship of Teenage Son With Angelman Syndrome

by Lindsay Weinberg

 

Colin Farrell has filed for conservatorship of his 17-year-old son, James Farrell, who has been diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome.

According to the court petition obtained by E! News, Colin and model Kim Bordenave, who is James' mother, are requesting to be co-conservators of his person in a limited conservatorship. The legal arrangement allows the conservators to manage the personal needs, including medical decisions, of someone who is unable to care for themselves.

The petition, dated Monday, May 10, explains that James has Angelman Syndrome, described in the document as "a genetic disorder which causes developmental delays and disabilities and affects the nervous system." 

The Batman actor's legal team notes that James "is nonverbal and has issues with his fine motor skills, making him unable to properly care for his own physical health and well-being and requiring him to need assistance in preparing food, eating, bathing, and clothing himself."

Therefore, Colin and Kim are seeking the power to decide where James lives, access confidential records, withhold or grant marriage, withhold or grant medical consent, make decisions about his education and control his social or sexual relationships.

Though the petition notes that James lacks the capacity to express his preference over who he would want to serve as his conservators, his parents "are sure" that if he "could voice his opinion over who he would want" for the role, he would choose his mom and dad.

The court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 27, per the citation obtained by E! News.

Colin Ferrell, Kim Bordenave

However, the teen's longtime doctor, Liliana Sloninsky, submitted a note that said it will be "difficult" for James to attend a court hearing, because features of his condition include "delayed development, intellectual disability, severe impairment  and problem[s] with movement and balance." She wrote, "James is non-verbal, gets very anxious and losses [sic] his focus easily."

Colin has spoken about his son before, including recently at the 2020 Global Summit and Mini-Gala for the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics (FAST). The Irish star shared what it meant to him to see James take his first steps two weeks before his 4th birthday.

"I'll never forget them," he began. "A child taking their first steps is always such a profound experience. Parents are disgusted if they miss it... Tears can flow, and it's such a huge kind of profound moment in the development of a child's life and in the relationship between a child and the child's parents." 

Colin Ferrell

Colin continued, "So when you're told your child might not walk and then your child does walk, two weeks short of his 4th birthday, the absence magnified the presence, when the presence arrived. And in the same way, the absence of certain abilities for our children… magnifies the need for us to all come together." 

He went on to describe why he's grateful to be involved with the FAST community, which he called a "beautiful place" to be a part of. "There is no us and them in our community. It's just us," he reflected.

 

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Colin Farrell Files for Conservatorship of Teenage Son With Angelman Syndrome