"Kai had been so feminine for so long" - Liev Schreiber speaks about his 16-year-old trans daughter for the first time, calls her a "fighter"

Actor Liev Schreiber recently opened up about his 16-year-old daughter Kai for the first time since she came out as transgender. In an interview with Variety, published on Thursday, May 8, the Ray Donovan actor explained it wasn't a "big deal" to him.

Schreiber, who shares Kai with Naomi Watts, noted that it was rather her asking them to "change her pronouns" that he felt was more "profound." He stated:

"I suppose the most profound moment was her asking us to change her pronouns. To be honest with you, it didn’t feel like that big of a deal to me only because Kai had been so feminine for so long."

He asserted:

"Kai was always who Kai is."

Kai made headlines this March when she made her runway debut, walking for Valentino at the Paris Fashion Week. She later starred in an ad campaign for the luxury fashion house.

Kai will join Liev Schreiber at the Ali Forney Center’s A Place at the Table Gala this Friday to fundraise for the LGBTQ youth

Kai is set to join Liev Schreiber and his wife, Taylor Neisen, at the Ali Forney Center’s A Place at the Table Gala that will be held in New York City this Friday. The institution provides housing and other support for homeless LGBTQ youth. According to Variety, it currently serves more than 2,200 people in the community.

Noting that not all trans youth have the same support from their families, the actor highlighted the need to step up. He told Variety:

"This isn’t just about representing the trans community. This is actually a community of people who don’t have great resources, who don’t have access to help, who aren’t being protected and looked after by their families. These are people who are being rejected."

Liev Schreiber continued to add that many were experiencing the "harshest version of humanity," and some of them are not "surviving it." The actor explained that them going to the gala all "glam(med) up" should not take away from what they were actually doing—"raising money for a community that desperately needs it."

 

 

 

 

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Addressing his daughter embracing her identity, the Spotlight star remarked:

"Kai is such a fighter. It’s important that she goes, 'Hey, I am trans,' and, 'Look at me,' and 'F** you. F**k off.'"

When questioned what advice he would give parents of teens coming out as trans, Liev Schreiber explained he didn't have the answer for "(their) kid," adding that it felt like an "overstep." He elaborated that he didn't know what it was like for them, how they were brought up, or even what their religious beliefs were.

However, the actor jokingly noted that teenagers were a "headache." He explained that it was going to be "hard" whether they were "trans or not." He added:

"But a trans teen is going to be a teen. They’re such a pain in the a** so much of the time, and Kai is as feisty and outspoken as they come."

Liev Schreiber also addressed the current anti-trans political climate, stating that he didn't "dwell on it too much." Remaining hopeful, he continued:

"To some degree, I feel like I don’t want to overcook that fear or that anxiety. There’s enough in the world to be anxious and afraid about."

 

 

 

 

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In March, the actor slammed Kai's critics, calling her a nepo baby after her runway debut. Talking to TMZ, he rhetorically questioned if children of professional actors were allowed to have a choice to work in their parents' industry. Noting that he was "proud," he added Kai did an amazing job in the show.

Schreiber and Naomi Watts, so separated after 11 years together, also share son Sasha, 17. The actor is a dad to 20-month-old daughter Hazel Bee with wife Taylor.

Liev Schreiber is not the only Hollywood star to speak out in support of their trans kids. Last month, Robert De Niro asserted he loved his daughter Airyn, adding that he didn't know what the "big deal" was after she came out in an interview.