Annette Bening has a host of accomplishments as an actress. She's won countless awards and has some incredible performances under her belt. Now the actress is entering a new stage of her life. Annette and husband Warren Beatty are the parents of four children. With the last leaving their home, they're now self-proclaimed empty nesters.
In 2019, Annette talked about what her life was like since becoming an empty nester in a candid interview with AARP. The notoriously private actress talked about it all, including her son, Stephen Ira. Annette's oldest child, Stephen was assigned female at birth and named Kathlyn by his parents. Stephen identified as transgender in his early teen years and began transitioning at 14 years old. Since then, he has been outspoken on issues related to the trans community.
Annette hadn't previously discussed what the experience of Stephen transitioning was like. In this profile, however, she opened up about how proud she is of her son.
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Annette Bening may be in her sixties, but the actress feels like she's in her prime. In both life and her career, she's experiencing a new chapter. She opened up about it in a 2019 interview with AARP.
The biggest adjustment for Annette and husband Warren Beatty is becoming empty nesters. The A-list couple are parents to four children. Their youngest daughter, Ella, left home to attend the Juilliard School in 2019.
"I think we're both still adjusting to the quiet at home," Annette said after getting off a phone call with Warren. She joked that the quick call between them took 20 minutes. They do have some company at home in the form of their 130-pound Newfoundland "puppy," Scout.
Despite Hollywood's known bias against actresses of a certain age, Annette is thriving. In her film, The Report, she plays Senator Dianne Feinstein. She's excited for a stage where she has "a growing sense of freedom and groundedness I haven't felt at this level before."
"When you're younger, you think there's some point at which you arrive, but that's an illusion," she noted. She went on to explain how she reached the realization that we're constantly evolving. She's seeing that now as her desire to explore and travel has grown since her children have left home.
She goes on to discuss a novel, Little Fish. In the book, a young transgender woman realizes her grandfather may have been trans. The book was recommended to Annette by her son Stephen, who is transgender.
Stephen was assigned female at birth and was named Kathlyn. He began to openly identify as transgender at 14 years old. Annette has not publicly broached the subject of her son Stephen's transition much, preferring to keep her family matters private.
She did comment on Stephen's transition in this interview. She said, "He's managed something that's very challenging with great style and great intelligence. He's an articulate, thoughtful person, and I'm very, very proud of him."
Annette also noted the shift in parenting that happens as children become adults. "When I was younger, part of me thought I could save my children from having to suffer, which was, of course, ridiculous," she said. "They have to go through their struggles."
Stephen and his siblings — Benjamin, Isabel, and Ella — are all doing great. Annette is enjoying her children's growth and independence. "They're very much their own people now," she said.
Annette's kids had to help her understand one of her most recent and surprising roles. She played a cyborg in the action-adventure film Captain Marvel. "My kids had to explain the character to me," she admitted.
While she enjoyed the role, she reveals that she's looking to cater to an audience closer to her peers. "So much of what we hear in Hollywood is that it's youth focused. But, hey, we're out here, too, right?” she told AARP.
“We're looking for films that are stimulating, provocative, intelligent and not exploitative in any way," she continued. She's less interested in what's commercially successful. Looking back on her career, she noted that her favorite movies to make weren't about box office numbers.
"When you make movies, you want to make an impact on people, not just entertain them," she explained. She enjoys when fans tell her how much a role meant to them. "It's great when a movie can speak to someone. Those moments stick with me."
