Despite the Hollywood insider status it implies, Patrick Schwarzenegger's instantly recognizable name almost prevented him from landing his most high-profile gig to date.
"Patrick Schwarzenegger's last name worked against him, by the way. We didn't want to cast him because of that," the "White Lotus" producer David Bernad told The Hollywood Reporter.
"He was just so good," Bernad added.
Schwarzenegger, 31, is the eldest son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former governor of California and star of the "Terminator" franchise.
Schwarzenegger has long followed in his father's footsteps as an actor, landing roles in movies such as "Midnight Sun" with Bella Thorne (2018) and shows like the HBO true-crime series "The Staircase" (2022). He's currently starring in the third season of "The White Lotus," one of HBO's buzziest hits to date, as Saxon Ratliff — who's ironically a nepo baby in his own right.
Saxon, who works at the same hedge fund as his father, Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs), arrives at the luxury Thailand hotel for a family getaway. He's introduced as a spoiled and obnoxious frat bro who's obsessed with success, status, and protein smoothies — and Schwarzenegger portrays him so convincingly that his real mom, Maria Shriver, recently felt the need to clear her son's name.
"Patrick is not like Saxon," Shriver told "Today" host Savannah Guthrie. "I just want to clear that up because people say, 'Is Patrick like Saxon?' I'm like, 'Do you think I would've raised a Saxon?'"
For his part, Schwarzenegger praised the creator of "The White Lotus," Mike White, for letting him ad-lib on set and explore Saxon's mannerisms in real time.
"There were a lot of moments where Mike would just let me play," he told THR. "Like when Saxon looks up and down at the ladyboy waitress or when he got out of the pool and kind of readjusted himself when he's looking at Chelsea. Mike came over after that and was like, 'Did you just grab yourself?' I was like: 'Is that fine? Do you think that's weird?' He was like, 'Dude, that was fucking brilliant.'"
Schwarzenegger also described Saxon as a "weird and creepy kind of guy" during an interview with Today.com in March.
He even discussed watching the season three premiere with his parents, despite the fact that he goes completely nude onscreen while his character is hanging out with his younger brother. (Schwarzenegger said he encouraged the nudity because he felt it was "very real for Saxon" to forgo pajamas as a "power play.")
"My dad thought it was hilarious," Schwarzenegger said. "My mom didn't even really understand what was happening."
Back in February, Schwarzenegger admitted he sometimes wishes he had a different last name to ward off accusations of nepotism.
"I know there are people who'll say I only got this role because of who my dad is," Schwarzenegger told The Times. "They're not seeing that I've had 10 years of acting classes, put on school plays every week, worked on my characters for hours on end, or the hundreds of rejected auditions I've been on."
"Of course it's frustrating, and you can get boxed in, and you think at that moment, 'I wish I didn't have my last name,'" he continued. "But that's a small moment. I would never trade my life with anyone."
