‘White Lotus’ Season 3 trailer: Rich people and death in Thailand
The trailer for HBO’s “The White Lotus” Season 3 brings viewers to tropical Thailand and death is in the air.
Patrick Schwarzenegger may be a “nepo baby,” but “The White Lotus” star says he’s earned his showbiz stripes.
The 31-year-old actor, son of “Terminator” star Arnold Schwarzenegger and former NBC News anchor Maria Shriver, addressed the impact his famous upbringing has had on his entertainment career in an interview with The Sunday Times published Sunday.
Schwarzenegger, who made his acting debut in 2006, has become the breakout star of the HBO series’ third season, thanks to his charming role as Saxon Ratliff, the eldest son of a vacationing affluent North Carolina family.
Schwarzenegger reflected in his conversation with the Times that his Hollywood pedigree comes with “blessings and curses.”
“I know there are people who’ll say I only got this role because of who my dad is,” Schwarzenegger told the British outlet. “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.”
Schwarzenegger is the latest celebrity to show disdain for the “nepo baby” stigma, a term that has gained traction among social media users in recent years to describe up-and-coming stars whose celebrity lineage might have given them a helping hand in the industry.
Other A-list actors such as Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis have pushed back against the label, with Roberts remarking in a July 2024 Flaunt Magazine interview that she’s “lost more jobs than I’ve gained from being in the business.”
Despite scrutiny of his famous roots, Schwarzenegger maintained that he “would never trade my life with anyone.”
“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,” Schwarzenegger said. “I’m very fortunate to have the life and family that I have, the parents I have and the lessons and values they’ve instilled in me.”
Schwarzenegger recently caught up with USA TODAY to discuss his “White Lotus” role. While the actor made clear that he has little in common with Saxon, he noted the parallel in their dominating paternal relationships.
“This idea that he’s living in his dad’s shadows – really vying for his dad’s support and approval — he has that kind of weight on him; that’s something I deal with in my day-to-day life,” he said.
Contributing: Elise Brisco, Jay Stahl and Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY