Perhaps the secret to their marriage's longevity in Hollywood is that couple Annette Bening and Warren Beatty hardly talk about their private lives. The legendary stars, however, are not shy about revealing facets about their children. The parents have recently made known their true feelings for their transgender son, first-born Stephen Ira.
Stephen was christened Kathlyn Elizabeth and she is now 25-years-old. The young man transitioned almost a decade ago. The couple has three other children, Benjamin, 22, Isabel, 20, and Ella, 16.
"I'm super proud of him," Bening said when asked about her transgender child in a fresh interview with The Guardian. "I leave it to him to say what he wants about his life," the Hollywood mom said, adding that she doesn't feel it's her place to speak about her children in public.
In 2016, dad Beatty opened up for the first time about having a transgender son in a feature on Vanity Fair. The father-of-four regards his eldest child as his hero and described Stephen as "a revolutionary genius."
For years, Beatty and Bening's eldest has been the subject of tabloid reports because of his choice. His parents kept quiet, giving Stephen his own voice and platform to pursue what he believes.
The young man shared his thoughts about trans politics via the blog Super Mattachine. In 2016, he shut this down to focus on his poetry, saying he believes he has matured a lot over the years.
Meanwhile, Bening is currently doing the press rounds to promote her latest movie "20th Century Women," which is a comedy about motherhood and daughters. She reflected that much has changed for women but there is still pressure "to be sexy, to become educated, to have a fulfilling relationship."
Her advice for young girls is to not give in to these pressures. "Just do a little bit at a time," the actress said. "The real thing we all search for is meaning."
