Naomi Watts’ trans daughter Kai Schreiber denounces ‘hostile attacks’ on the community
Naomi Watts (L) with Kai Schreiber (R) (Getty)
Naomi Watts (L) with Kai Schreiber (R) (Getty)
Trans model and actress Kai Schreiber has spoken about struggling with her gender identity and the ‘hostile attacks’ currently being levelled at her community.
Kai, the daughter of Hollywood stars Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, told Interview magazine that she chose to look up to trans legends to cope with her difficulties and the regressive politics currently threatening the rights of the transgender community.
“As a young trans girl, I’m always going to look up to the older generation of transgender people, especially in fashion, people like Alex Consani, Hunter Schafer, Hari Nef, Dara, Richie Shazam [and] Colin Jones,” she said.
“It’s so great that there’s a strong community of us in the fashion world, it’s a doll takeover. It’s important to all of us to have a sense of community, especially when we’re under such hostile attack.”
16-year-old Kai shared her dreams of being a supermodel, which she owes partly to her struggles with gender identity.
“I’ve been practising my walks in the kitchen for years. My mom can show you all the videos I forced her to film. Struggling with gender identity from a young age most likely had something to do with it. I always wanted to grow up and be a beautiful, glamorous, influential woman.”
She has already made waves in the fashion industry, having been signed to IMG Models and walking for Maison Valentino in the brand’s womenswear fall/winter show. She described her personal style as “basic, but in a chic way”. The star voiced one of the young wolves in the 2016 reboot of The Jungle Book.
She went on to say: “The people you surround yourself with have the biggest impact on you, and if they’re not making you feel free and comfortable, cut ’em off, babe.”
King Kong and Emmanuelle star Watts has been fully supportive of her daughter. In May, the pair hosted an LGBTQ+ fundraising event in New York. Her father, seen in dozens of films from X-Men to Spotlight, has described his daughter as a fighter and told People earlier this year: “Kai was always who Kai is. 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.”
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