Patrick Schwarzenegger Confesses Why He Got a Kick Shooting Shock 'White Lotus' Incest Scene
Patrick Schwarzenegger had to get into a certain mindset to film the controversial scene.
March 28 2025, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
Patrick Schwarzenegger left TV audiences buzzing after his White Lotus character, Saxon Ratliff, found himself in a bizarre sexual situation with his on-screen brother Lochlan, and the actor has now admitted how much he had to push himself for the performance.
All this comes as the 31-year-old has defended his "nepo baby" status as the son of iconic action movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Patrick opened up about how far he had to push himself for certain scenes on 'The White Lotus.'
The TV star told C Magazine in an interview: "When you join The White Lotus, you know (show creator Mike White) is going to push boundaries.
"That's why he's a genius. As an actor, playing the most uncomfortable scenes is the most fun because they are the biggest challenge."
Patrick added: "I'm not saying that scene was the most fun, but it's fun to push yourself and put yourself in uncomfortable positions because then you learn."
His character had to kiss his on-screen brother in one particular scene.
However, the much-talked about scene was made easier by the fact that Patrick and his fellow co-stars are as close as they can be.
He explained: "It wasn't difficult filming intimate scenes with (Sam) Nivola because by then the pair had been filming together for a couple of months.
"Our whole on-screen family – Sam, me, Jason (Patric), Parker (Posey), and Sarah Catherine (Hook) – worked together, hung out together, had meals, built a family dynamic. I became super close with all of them and continue to be really close with them today."
While his father is best known for his various iconic performances including playing a machine in the Terminator franchise, Patrick prefers to steer clear from any tips.
He said: "I don't ask my dad for any acting advice. He's a movie star. It's not that I don't want to become that one day, but I want to focus on trying to get my feet wet in acting roles, then one day come to do those types of movies.
"We have two different routes of how to go about it. He's all about, "You should be number one on the call sheet, the biggest name, your name should be on the poster. Go big."
'I'm of the opposite mindset. By going small and continually growing with my roles, I'm trying to build my résumé," he said.
The 31-year-old plays Saxon Ratliff in the HBO series, and his character gets naked.
However, Patrick added: "'Being around fame has probably been beneficial."
Patrick has joined a batch of other actors who are labeled "nepo babies," but the star isn't actually a fan of that term.
He previously raged to The Sunday Times: "I know there are people who’ll say I only got this role because of who my dad is.
“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."
Patrick added: "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. But that’s a small moment.”
Fans were quick to jump on the comments as one person wrote: "Why do nepo babies keep doing this? All they have to do is acknowledge they had a leg up and leave it at that."
Another lambasted: "I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit that you can both be hardworking and benefit from nepotism."
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The TV star does not take acting tips from his famous father, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Meanwhile, his dad isn't exactly surprised his son went naked in The White Lotus, seeing that he did the same for Terminator 2.
Arnold joked in Instagram: "What a show! I could claim to be surprised to find out he has a nude scene, but what can I say – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree..."
