Actor Patrick Schwarzenegger defends against allegations of nepotism concerning his part in the HBO hit series ‘The White Lotus Season 3’. The son of action movie icon Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver, Patrick plays Saxton Ratliff, a privileged character in the critically acclaimed series.
Addressing the resentment, he pointed out his frustration that most people simply assumed his family connection was the catalyst that got him the role while brushing off the years of acting training he underwent and the numerous auditions from which he got rejected.
Schwarzenegger Remarks
In an interview with Deadline, Patrick denied that his Hollywood lineage gave him any sort of upper hand. He said, “I know people will say I only got this role because of who my dad is. But they’re not seeing the 10 years of acting classes, school plays every weeks, worked on my character for hours on end or hundreds of rejected auditions I’ve been on.”
He admitted that with his last name, sometimes it feels like an anchor weighing him down not allowing him to forge his own identity in this industry. “Sometimes, I wish I didn’t have my last name, but that thought passes by,” he said.
Career of Patrick Schwarzenegger
Schwarzenegger made his acting debut in 2006 with The Benchwarmers, later working in various films such as Stuck in Love (2012), Grown Ups 2 (2013), and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015).
His television credits include The Long Road Home (2017), The Staircase (2022), and The Terminal List (2022). In 2024, he took on the role of former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow in American Sports Story.
However, it is his portrayal of Saxton Ratliff in ‘The White Lotus’ that has spawned major conversations, mostly due to his nude shooting. Schwarzenegger disclosed that he didn’t know to what extent the show would lean into such explicit content when he signed on.
