Actor Colin Farrell is apprehensive about a line in his new movie IN BRUGES - because his character improperly uses the word "retarded".

The 31-year-old's own son James, four, has been diagnosed with the neurogenetic disorder Angelman syndrome, a disability which affects his motor skills.

And Farrell insists his son's condition has made him sensitive to those with special needs - leaving him uneasy about his character's line that only "retarded" people could enjoy a holiday in Bruges, Belgium.

He explains, "I'm involved with the Special Olympics, so I would never use that word in my life. It's a word that creates denigration and is incredibly harmful.

"But... my character doesn't say it with any kind of malice or intent or bigotry. He's just very naive and the world isn't as well explained to him as it is to some of us."