Patrick Schwarzenegger denied that he’s on “The White Lotus” because of nepotism.
“I know there are people who’ll say I only got this role because of who my dad is,” the 31-year-old actor and son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver told The Sunday Times in a new interview.
“They’re not seeing that I’ve had 10 years of acting classes, put on [high] school plays every week, worked on my characters for hours on end or the hundreds of rejected auditions I’ve been on,” he continued.
“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.”
Patrick added, “I would never trade my life with anyone. 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.”
Patrick is one of Arnold and Maria’s four children. The former couple, who split in 2011 after 25 years of marriage, also share son Christopher, 27, and daughters Christina, 33, and Katherine, 35, who is married to actor Chris Pratt.
Arnold has another son, Joseph Baena, 27, from his affair with housekeeper Mildred “Patty” Baena.
The entire Schwarzenegger family recently supported Patrick at the “White Lotus” Season 3 premiere in LA on Feb. 10.
“I hang with my family all the time,” Patrick told The Times. “I live within a few minutes of my dad.”
Before “The White Lotus,” Patrick starred in “The Staircase,” “American Sports Story” and “The Boys” spinoff “Gen V.” Despite his solid resume, he didn’t expect to be cast in the Emmy Award-winning HBO series.
“I thought, there’s no way I’m going to get this, everybody is up for this,” he said. “I’ve been a massive fan of the show since day one. It was my dream goal, I think I manifested it.”
Patrick revealed that he found out he was heading to Thailand one week after he proposed to model Abby Champion. “I was like, ‘Eek, sorry, I’m gonna be gone the next seven months, so we’re going to have to push the wedding to next year.”
The actor told his mom and sister Katherine about the job in an emotional Instagram clip that he shared last week after “The White Lotus” premiered.
“My whole family are huge fans of the show, and would always mess with me saying I needed to find a way to get onto this show,” Patrick wrote alongside the video, which shows him in tears hugging Shriver, 69, over the good news.
“Anyways it’s a special moment when you get to celebrate with people you love. It was one of those dream come true moments for me,” he added.
Patrick was a scene stealer in the first “White Lotus” episode, which featured a nude scene that hinted at an incest storyline between Patrick’s character, Saxon Ratliff, and his brother, Lochlan Ratliff, played by Sam Nivola.
Nivola, 21, is also a nepo baby. He’s the son of actors Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola.
