Colin Farrell has opened up about the heartbreaking decision to put his son into a long-term care facility. The Hollywood star, who picked up a Golden Globe for his performance in HBO's The Penguin , previously revealed that his 21-year-old son James had been misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy. The Irish actor, who looked unrecognsable as the Batman villain, has been grieving his late father. In 2007, he shared publicly that James, who is non-verbal, has Angelman syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects the nervous system and causes severe physical and learning disabilities. The neruological condition can cause issues such as difficulty with movement, breathing patterns, low muscle tone and epilepsy. It's believed those with Angelman syndrome will have a near-normal life expectancy, but they require support throughout their life. Colin and his ex Kim Bordenave have made the tough decision to settle their son James into a care facility. Farrell has explained that the decision to put James into care came out of concerns that he wouldn't receive the support needed if something happened to him or James' mother. "It's tricky, some parents will say 'I want to take care of my child myself' and I respect that," Colin said. "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?" Speaking to Candis Magazine the Batman star added: "Then he's a ward of the state and he goes where? We'd have no say in it." Colin and Kim are looking to find somewhere for James he can go "now while we're still alive and healthy" so they can visit him and also take him out. He shared: "We want him to find somewhere where he can have a full and happy life, where he feels connected." Last summer, Colin opened up about James' health issues and his misdiagnosis. Colin said the syndrome is often confused with cerebral palsy as both conditions are characterised by similar symptoms. He told PEOPLE magazine: "[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 given to a group of lifelong conditions that affect movement and co-ordination. According to the NHS website, it's caused by an issue with the brain that develops before, during or soon after birth. Colin continued: "It was a common misdiagnosis, because it shared a lot of the same characteristics. And that was a downer for sure." It wasn't until James was around two and a half that he finally got the right diagnosis, when a paediatric neurologist said he should be tested for Angelman syndrome. Colin was concerned about his son's life expectancy and how painful his condition might be. "I remember the first two questions I asked were, 'What's the life expectancy and how much pain is involved?'," Colin said. "And the doctor said, 'Life expectancy, as far as we can tell, is the same for you and for me, and pain, no.'" Last year, Farrell launched the Colin Farrell Foundation to provide support for adult children like James with intellectual disabilities. He said, at the time, that once James turned 21 he would be "kind of on his own" as the protections provided to younger people with disabilities are taken away. It was James who inspired Colin to go sober after the actor battled alcoholism and addiction for years. In 2006, he told the Mirror: "I have a new-found appreciation for my life I wasn't suicidal but I never had much of a will to live a long time. "Now I want to watch my son grow up, be his friend and his father, and hang around with him. So he's the greatest priority in my life." Colin revealed he wanted to go public witt his son's diagnosis and share the "pride" he had for his son He said: "It was at the Special Olympics in Shanghai in 2007 that I decided, after consulting with James' mother, that I wanted to talk publicly about the pride and joy I had in our son. "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 told InStyle in 2012: "We share in the smallest victories; the first words at age six or seven, being able to feed oneself at 19, and getting the seizures under control. When James took his first steps at age four, I nearly broke in half!" In 2021, Colin filed for conservatorship of James along with Kim, so they can manage crucial aspects of their son's life. They requested the court to grant them power to make decisions about his education, health, social and sexual relationships. Last year, Colin said James has always "worked so hard all his life, so hard". He told PEOPLE: "Repetition, repetition, 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." Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.