X-Men star Liev Schreiber says daughter Kai coming out as trans ‘didn’t feel like a big deal’

X-Men star Liev Schreiber has opened up about supporting his trans daughter, saying “it didn’t feel like a big deal”. 

Kai is the 16-year-old daughter of Hollywood stars Naomi Watts and Schreiber, who began dated in 2005 but split up after 11 years together. 

In an Interview with Variety, published on Thursday (8 May), X-Men Origins: Wolverine actor Schreiber shared that Kai never told him or Naomi Watts that she was trans.

“Kai was always who Kai is. But 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 explained. 

He added that his daughter is “a fighter” and that he supports her fully. “It’s important that she goes, ‘Hey, I am trans,’ and, ‘Look at me,’” he said. 

‘A trans teen is going to be a teen’

In offering advice to parents of LGBTQ+ children, he said: “I guess if I would say anything to someone who’s having trouble with their trans teen or their adolescent trans kid it’s ‘Teenagers are a headache. They’re hard.’ It doesn’t matter whether they’re trans or not, because you’ll come out of this.

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

The actor will be joined by his daughter on Friday (9 May) at the Ali Forney Center’s A Place at the Table Gala. The centre provides housing and support for homeless LGBTQ+ youth. 

He said of supporting the cause: “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. These are people who are experiencing the harshest version of humanity that we can offer, and some of them are not surviving it.” 

He concluded: “That what we’re doing is actually raising money for a community that desperately needs it.”

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