How Naomi Watts & Liev Schreiber Support Model Daughter Kai's Career

Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber’s Daughter Kai Makes Her Runway Debut at 16

From a young age, Kai Schreiber knew she was among those that like it hot.

Discussing the love of fashion that led her to the runways of Valentino, Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier, and a desire to emulate film icons like Marilyn Monroe, the 17-year-old model explained to Interview Magazine last year, "Struggling with gender identity from a young age most likely had something to do with it."

Spending years strutting her stuff in the kitchen—Mom Naomi Watts "can show you all the videos"—said Kai, who identifies as transgender, she "always wanted to grow up and be a beautiful, glamorous, influential woman, like Marilyn."

Or Euphoria star Hunter Schafer. Or Vogue regular Alex Consani, her comrades in couture.

"As a young trans girl, I'm always going to look up to the older generation of transgender people, especially in fashion," she explained of drawing even closer to her fellow runway regulars during a time the community is "under such hostile attack."

But together with other stunners who identify as LGBTQ+, "It's so great that there's a strong community of us in the fashion world," Kai noted, "it's really a doll takeover."

Count Watts and Kai's dad Liev Schreiber among those rooting for the uprising.

"Stunner," he wrote in a February Instagram, showing off his daughter's latest project. "Brava Kai."

Naturally, he was on hand when she made her runway debut in March 2025, modeling Valentino's wares at Paris Fashion Week.

And he stepped in when his eldest daughter—he and ex-girlfriend Watts are also parents to 18-year-old son Sasha and he welcomed daughter Hazel with with wife Taylor Neisen in September 2023—was leveled with the ever-present nepo baby accusations.

"I don't have many thoughts for the haters," the Ray Donovan actor, 58, told TMZ days later. "I'm gonna put it to you like this: What if you were a professional actor and your child decided they wanted to do something in this world. Do they have the choice of what you did?"

Regardless, he would be applauding every step.

"It doesn't matter, like, that's her life," he stressed. "She does what she wants with her life. And I'm super proud of her. I thought she did an amazing job on the show."

Nina Westervelt/WWD via Getty Images

And, yes, Watts also feels she's doing amazing, sweetie.

The 57-year-old copped to becoming "a bit of a momager" during an October appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends. "She's extra young," noted Watts, wed to fellow actor Billy Crudup, "but she’s got her head on and it was a nice way for her to feel pride about what she’s doing."

As for how she's supported Kai's gender identity, "It's a big conversation," Watts acknowledged, saying her recommendation for other parents navigating something similar would be to tailor that talk to their child.

In fact, Schreiber struggles to even pinpoint the moment they were told Kai was transgender.

"Kai was always who Kai is," the actor explained in a May 2025 chat with Variety. "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."

To that end, he doesn't have specific advice for those looking to support their kids through any sort of transition.

"I don’t know the answer for your kid," he explained. "I don’t know what it’s like for you to be a trans dad. I don’t know how you were brought up. I don’t know what religion you encountered or what your spirituality is. And for me to tell you what I think about my kid feels like an overstep."

What he would say, "to someone who’s having trouble with their trans teen or their adolescent trans kid," Schreiber continued, was, "'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."

It's a trait that's come in handy as she pursues her runway ambitions.

"Kai is such a fighter," Schreiber said. "It's important that she goes, 'Hey, I am trans,' and, 'Look at me.'"

Snap a picture while you're at it. Because Kai is clear about her intended final destination. "I want to be a supermodel," she stressed to Interview. "Period."

And the teen is just one of many stars who have spoken about their decision to discuss their gender identity. See what other stars have said about coming out to their loved ones.