Patrick Schwarzenegger On Claims ‘White Lotus’ Casting Was Due To Nepotism: “It’s Frustrating”

deadline.com:

Patrick Schwarzenegger is one of the breakout stars of The White Lotus Season 3, but he doesn’t want people to think he only got the role because of his famous parents.

Schwarzenegger, who plays privileged Saxton Ratliff in the Mike White-created HBO series, is the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. “I know there are people who’ll say I only got this role because of who my dad is,” Schwarzenegger told The Sunday 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.” 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.” Schwarzenegger’s first acting role was in 2006’s The Benchwarmers as “Jock Kid Game #3.” He would go on to appear in 2012’a Stuck in Love (2012), 2013’s Grown Ups 2 as Frat Boy, and 2015’s Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.

Schwarzenegger’s first television role was in 2015 in an episode of Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens. He would go on to appear in 2017’s The Long Road Home, 2022’s The Staircase, 2022’s The Terminal List, and 2023’s Gen V.