Annette Bening 'very proud' of son transitioning with 'great style and intelligence'

Annette Bening has praised her son Stephen for negotiating his gender transition with "great style and great intelligence".

The 61-year-old actress shares four children with husband Warren Beatty - Stephen, 27, Benjamin, 25, Isabel, 22, and Ella, 19. Stephen was formerly known as Kathlyn Elizabeth before transitioning at the age of 14, and Annette opened up to AARP The Magazine about her pride in the way Stephen coped during the "very challenging" period of his life.

"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," she smiled.

Despite her pride, Captain Marvel star Annette admitted she always wanted to protect her children from any difficulties they would encounter in their lives.

"When I was younger, part of me thought I could save my children from having to suffer, which was, of course, ridiculous. They have to go through their struggles," she said.

Annette's pride in Stephen comes after Warren called his son his "hero" during an interview in 2016. Calling his boy a "revolutionary", Warren told Vanity Fair: "He's a genius, and my hero, as are all my children."