On ‘The White Lotus,’ Patrick Schwarzenegger Gets Rich Quick

On the set of the third season of The White Lotus, which was filmed over the course of seven humid months at luxury hotels in Bangkok and Koh Samui, Thailand, writer and director Mike White had a recurring piece of direction for actor Patrick Schwarzenegger.

“You’re not walking rich enough,” White would call out across the pool deck. “Patrick, be richer.”

Schwarzenegger, 31, recalled this moment with a spot-on impression of White during a morning chat at a coffee shop in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood. Describing himself as a coffee “addict,” he noted that his on-set nickname was “Cold Brew.” In person, he came across as polite and earnest.

“I’m grateful every single day for the life I’ve been given,” he said while scooping up yogurt and berries.

To White, this sincerity was completely genuine. “Patrick is just someone who likes people, and people like him,” he said in a phone interview earlier that week. “He’s a serious actor, but there’s a simplicity to the way he presents himself.”

Schwarzenegger was in New York for a few days of press for The White Lotus, the most high-profile project of his career so far. He plays Saxon, the eldest son of a wealthy North Carolina couple (portrayed by Parker Posey and Jason Isaacs). Saxon is a cocky finance bro whose hobbies include smoothies, pornography, and making inappropriate comments about his siblings’ sex lives.

“She’s pretty hot,” he tells his brother (Sam Nivola), referring to his sister (Sarah Catherine Hook). “But I don’t think she’s ever been laid before.”

Under the soft glow of the café’s lighting, Schwarzenegger exuded the aura of privilege. He often portrays entitled young men, a trend cemented by his role in Gen V, Amazon’s college-set spin-off of The Boys, where his character is literally named Golden Boy.

This casting choice makes sense. With his wide-set eyes, golden hair, and polished demeanor, Schwarzenegger embodies a certain effortless affluence. That charm has led to a résumé filled with jocks and pretty boys. But in his best work—Gen V, HBO’s The Staircase, and now The White Lotus—he peels back the layers of these privileged characters, revealing something more vulnerable, even damaged.

“There’s a Tom Cruise quality to him—cheerful on the surface, but with an undercurrent of anger,” White observed.

On paper, Schwarzenegger and Saxon have much in common. Both were in fraternities during college. Both studied business. Both are meticulous about arm day at the gym. Even off-duty, Schwarzenegger never quite walks “poor.”

Born to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, he comes from both Hollywood and political royalty. (His mother’s parents were Eunice Kennedy and Sargent Shriver.) He fully acknowledges his privileged background.

“You’d have to be completely oblivious not to recognize it,” he said. He’s willing to channel that into Saxon but is quick to highlight their differences—“his vulnerability levels, his relationships, what he values in life.” (And, as he pointed out, their swimwear preferences.)

His colleagues noticed other distinctions. Posey, his co-star, described him as graceful and mature, calling him a “very nice young man.” She even joked, in her character’s lorazepam-laced drawl, “My perfect child.”

White, too, recognized Schwarzenegger’s easy charm. “He’s got a bit of a gym bro vibe,” he said. “But at his core, he’s just a genuinely kind person.” That kindness was evident even after the interview, when Schwarzenegger sent a thank-you note. “Continue the great work,” he wrote.

Having grown up around the film industry, Schwarzenegger spent much of his childhood on set, doing homework in his father’s trailer and making peanut butter sandwiches at craft services. Acting seemed like the natural path—both because of his father’s influence and because of his own love for performing in school plays.

But why step into someone else’s shoes when his own life seemed enviable? He pondered that for a moment.

“It’s strange,” he admitted. “I love my life. But I don’t know—there’s something fun about becoming someone else.”

While minoring in cinematic arts at the University of Southern California—his father insisted he major in business—Schwarzenegger took acting classes outside of school and began landing small roles: an Ariana Grande music video, a guest spot on Scream Queens, a rom-com called Stuck in Love.

During the pandemic, when much of the industry came to a halt, he decided to seek out more challenging roles—characters that were, as he put it, “deeper and more dramatic.” Soon, he was cast in The Staircase, followed by Gen V and American Sports Story, in which he portrayed Tim Tebow.

For The White Lotus, Saxon was initially described as a Southern finance guy and an unabashed flirt. Schwarzenegger’s brother-in-law, actor Chris Pratt, advised him that the role would be highly competitive, so he needed to stand out.

Taking that advice, Schwarzenegger made a bold choice during his audition—eyeing the camera up and down, tilting his head, licking his lips. He demonstrated this move during our interview, and even as a 40-something mother of two with no patience for nonsense, I had to admit—it worked. White saw it too.

Schwarzenegger’s famous last name didn’t sway White. “Famous people can come with baggage, and sometimes that’s just a turnoff,” he said. But Schwarzenegger’s commitment to the role impressed him.

“He was just leagues funnier than anyone else who auditioned,” White said. “He played it like it was life or death.”

Before flying to Thailand—a grueling 14-hour time difference from his fiancée, Abby Champion, and his family—Schwarzenegger meticulously crafted a backstory for Saxon. On set, his colleagues described him as an endlessly upbeat presence, always there to motivate the cast and crew.

The role required nudity and at least one disturbing sex scene. Schwarzenegger had no reservations. It made sense for the character, he explained—so much so that in one scene, he opted to forgo the boxer briefs the wardrobe department had provided.

“Whether it’s uncomfortable or weird for Patrick doesn’t matter,” he said.

He isn’t sure how his family will react to the more explicit scenes in upcoming episodes. But he’s eager for audiences to see his depth as an actor—to make Saxon’s struggles feel both real and darkly comedic. He pushed White to let Saxon evolve, but White reminded him that The White Lotus takes place over a single week. There isn’t always time for transformation.

Still, transformation is something Schwarzenegger thinks about often. He’s looking for roles that will strip away the “Golden Boy” image. (He hinted, excitedly yet cryptically, at a potential new project that would require him to dramatically alter his physique.) Maybe he doesn’t want the same career as his father, whose roles have largely been variations on a muscular archetype.

“He never really gave me advice about acting,” Schwarzenegger said. “I never really asked.”

Perhaps he understands that nothing gold lasts forever and that diversification is key.

He also contemplates success—a central theme of The White Lotus, which repeatedly proves that wealth and power don’t guarantee happiness. With grandparents who helped create the Peace Corps and the Special Olympics, he feels a pull toward something greater.

“I struggle with this feeling that I’m supposed to do more,” he admitted. “I feel this kind of calling from God to help others. And sometimes I wonder—how do I justify acting?”

But he finds a way. He begins every morning with prayer and a gratitude list. And when your workday involves filming on a yacht in Thailand, the list comes easily.

“I’m just so grateful to be here,” he said, flashing that effortlessly golden smile. “This is a dream job. It’s incredible.”