Ever since Jewish director Emma Seligman’s fantastic debut “Shiva Baby,” we’ve been absolutely antsy for more. Thankfully, the wait is almost over. Just this week, SXSW announced that “Bottoms,” a queer comedy and Seligman’s second film, will premiere at the festival in March!!
According to Deadline, the movie will tell the story of “two unpopular queer girls in their senior year who start a fight club to try to impress and hook up with cheerleaders.” Beyond that incredible synopsis, the movie has an all-star cast, including Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Marshawn Lynch — and Jewish actress and model Kaia Gerber!
So while we wait impatiently for “Bottoms” to come out, here are 18 things to know about Kaia Gerber.
1. Kaia Gerber was born on September 3, 2001 in Los Angeles to a Jewish father and a Christian mother.
2. Her middle name is Jordan, which is of Hebrew origin!
3. Kaia’s mom is supermodel Cindy Crawford, with whom she has modeled!
4. Through her dad, businessman and former model Rande Gerber, Kaia is of Russian-Jewish and Tunisian descent.
5. Alongside brother Presley, she grew up in an interfaith household!
“My dad is Jewish and my mom is Christian, so we grew up doing both; we call Christmas Chrismukkah,” Kaia told Manifesto. “I love learning about both of those sides of my life. We’d do Passover, Passover dinner and Yom Kippur. I love learning all of that — and learning the cooking.”
6. Kaia started modeling at the age of 10 for Young Versace.
“Like her mother, Kaia has a very special gift,” Donatella Versace told Vogue at the time.
7. She made her acting debut in 2016 playing young Carolina in the show “Sister Cities.”
8. Growing up, Kaia and her family got a dozen bagels every weekend from Jewish deli Nate ‘n Al!
9. Kaia got her high school diploma from Malibu High School and hasn’t yet attended college, but still thinks she has time!
“I have no problem with being a 50-year-old in college,” she told reporter Naomi Fry.
10. You simply have to check out her skincare routine:
11. Kaia is the first model born in the 2000s to cover model for American Vogue, British Vogue, Vogue France and Vogue Italia — also known as The Big Four.
12. She was awarded Model of the Year by the British Fashion awards in 2018!
13. Kaia loves to read!
According to Vogue, five books that changed her life are: “The Lover” by Maguerite Duras, “The Stranger” by Albert Camus, “The Year of Magical Thinking” by Joan Didion, “Just Kids” by Patti Smith and “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” by Raymond Carver.
14. In 2021, she starred in “American Horror Story: Double Feature.”
Here are some BTS photos she shared with Instagram:
15. Kaia recently shared the advice her mom gave her about modeling:
“Be on time. Take the time to learn people’s names, and be nice to everyone. If you’re not grateful and happy to be there, there’s someone who would be.”
16. Kaia made a brief appearance in the movie “Babylon.” Check out this frame she’s in:
17. Though she’s previously been tied to comedian Pete Davidson, Kaia is currently dating Oscar-nominated actor Austin Butler.
18. Kaia is a fan of “Bottoms” director Emma Seligman!
“I saw Shiva Baby, and I was like: ‘No one has ever done anything like this. It’s so funny, and sad, and real, and touching,'” Kaia said.
