Colin Farrell Jokes He Had a 'Parental Dropping of the Ball' by Letting Son, 8, Watch 'It'

Colin Farrellhas learned his lesson about introducing scary movies to his kids at a young age.The Irish actor, 43, paid a visit toEllen DeGeneresfor Wednesday’s episode of her daytime talk show, where he talked about his role asOswald Cobblepot/the Penguin in the upcomingBatmanmoviereboot and revealed that he allowed his now-10-year-old sonHenry Tadeuszto watch 2017’sIt.“What is wrong with you?” the host ribbed her guest. “How old was he?”“That was a parental dropping of the ball of epic proportions,” Farrell admitted. “We watched it at home and we watched half of it and, uh … I could discern a certain discomfort that wasemanating from his 8-year-old body.”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.“And then we watched the second half the next day and then he was fine. We watched it before bed one night,” the actor continued, adding after the audience’s groans, “I know, I mean, I really dropped the ball.”Despite turns in family-friendly silver-screen storieslike last year’s live-actionDumbo, Farrell has starred in many a film meant for adult audiences, joking to DeGeneres, 61, that he keeps those types of movies “locked where [my sons] can’t reach.”But in reality, Henry and his big brotherJames Padraig, 16, couldn’t care less. “I wish I had a choice. They don’t want to!” Farrell said of his sons’ lack of interest in his roles.Colin Farrell (L) and Ellen DeGeneres.Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.RELATED VIDEO: Colin Farrell Explains He Told His Son Why Donald Trump Is Grabbing “Kittens” onEllenAs for his new role as the deadly umbrella-toting foil toRobert Pattinson‘s Bruce Wayne/Batman (which Farrell begins shooting in a couple of weeks), surprisingly, his children still aren’t super impressed.“They’re sick of me being a bad guy,” he lamented, quipping of their real-life opinion of their dad, “Which apparently, reading between the lines, leads me to believe that they think I’m okay.”The Batmanis scheduled for release on June 25, 2021.

Colin Farrellhas learned his lesson about introducing scary movies to his kids at a young age.

The Irish actor, 43, paid a visit toEllen DeGeneresfor Wednesday’s episode of her daytime talk show, where he talked about his role asOswald Cobblepot/the Penguin in the upcomingBatmanmoviereboot and revealed that he allowed his now-10-year-old sonHenry Tadeuszto watch 2017’sIt.

“What is wrong with you?” the host ribbed her guest. “How old was he?”

“That was a parental dropping of the ball of epic proportions,” Farrell admitted. “We watched it at home and we watched half of it and, uh … I could discern a certain discomfort that wasemanating from his 8-year-old body.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

“And then we watched the second half the next day and then he was fine. We watched it before bed one night,” the actor continued, adding after the audience’s groans, “I know, I mean, I really dropped the ball.”

Despite turns in family-friendly silver-screen storieslike last year’s live-actionDumbo, Farrell has starred in many a film meant for adult audiences, joking to DeGeneres, 61, that he keeps those types of movies “locked where [my sons] can’t reach.”

But in reality, Henry and his big brotherJames Padraig, 16, couldn’t care less. “I wish I had a choice. They don’t want to!” Farrell said of his sons’ lack of interest in his roles.

Colin Farrell (L) and Ellen DeGeneres.Michael Rozman/Warner Bros.

RELATED VIDEO: Colin Farrell Explains He Told His Son Why Donald Trump Is Grabbing “Kittens” onEllen

As for his new role as the deadly umbrella-toting foil toRobert Pattinson‘s Bruce Wayne/Batman (which Farrell begins shooting in a couple of weeks), surprisingly, his children still aren’t super impressed.

“They’re sick of me being a bad guy,” he lamented, quipping of their real-life opinion of their dad, “Which apparently, reading between the lines, leads me to believe that they think I’m okay.”

The Batmanis scheduled for release on June 25, 2021.

source: people.com