The Parenting Mistake Colin Farrell Said He Made With Son Henry

Colin Farrell's sons are not the hugest fans of his role choices. While discussing his performance as The Penguin in "The Batman" (which starred Robert Pattinson, who has undergone a stunning transformation) during a 2020 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Farrell told host Ellen DeGeneres this is mainly a result of the "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" star's knack for playing villainous characters. "They're sick of me playing the bad guy," he explained. However, Farrell said, their unhappiness with his role choices makes him believe that they think he's a good person. "Apparently, reading between the lines, [it] leads me to believe they think I'm ok," he said."

Though Farrell's sons might be unhappy watching their dad play villains, he may have seemed like even more of a bad guy after allowing his younger son, Henry, to watch a horror movie. Speaking with DeGeneres in 2020, Farrell revealed that, in a brief lapse of parental judgment, he once let his then-8-year-old son watch the 2017 adaptation of Stephen King's "It." The ensuing nightmare fuel filled Henry with a sense of dread right before bedtime. ​​"That was a parental dropping of the ball of epic proportions," he said. "We watched it at home and we watched half of it, and I could discern a certain discomfort that was emanating from his 8-year-old body." Despite his son's apparent terror, Farrell said they watched the movie's second half the next day.

Though he may have temporarily scarred his younger son by allowing him to see an age-inappropriate horror movie, showing Henry "It" is not the only parenting fail Colin Farrell has had. During another appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" in February 2022, Farrell said he also embarrassed his son by wearing short shorts while jogging in West Hollywood. "He says, 'Please Dad, do not wear the short shorts,'" Farrell said. "And I tell him, 'They feel good.' It's not a fashion thing."

Despite Farrell's occasional slip ups, he and his son have also displayed a close bond. While they appeared together on the red carpet wearing matching velvet tuxedos, Farrell shared with Extra during the 2023 Oscars that he and his son shared a nice moment prior to the festivities. Rather than attend any Oscars parties, the two stayed in their hotel room and enjoyed cheeseburgers in their pajamas while watching "The Whale," a movie that Henry, who then 13, might have been old enough to see at the time. Despite his father's perceived hiccups, Henry said he thinks Farrell is a good dad. "He's definitely nice," he said.

Farrell also has a close bond with his older son, James, who has Angelman syndrome. In 2021, he and James' mom, Kim Bordenave, filed a joint petition for conservatorship to oversee James' care into adulthood. Clearly, Farrell is dedicated to being a great dad to his kids.