Why Patrick Schwarzenegger Chose to Do This 'White Lotus' Scene
Patrick Schwarzenegger explains that he chose to do one 'White Lotus' scene
Patrick Schwarzenegger's Saxon has certainly had quite the journey on this season of The White Lotus. The Ratliff family's finance bro began his week at the luxury hotel on top of the world before one of the most horrifying tragic falls we've ever seen. We will, quite literally, never forget that full moon party and that incestuous threesome that followed. Of course, many viewers saw it all coming. In fact, the seeds for an incestuous plot line were planted way back in the first episode of the season when a naked Saxon got out of bed and walked to the bathroom... with his brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola) watching on.
As it turns out, Schwarzenegger wasn't originally meant to be naked in the scene. "When we were shooting the bedroom scene, they had some boxer-briefs that I was supposed to wear, and I was like, 'I’m just going to do this naked,'" the actor revealed to Men's Health. "I think it’s better because it’s such a power move. It showed how Saxon just does not have a worry in the world or care about what anyone else thinks."
HBO
Schwarzenegger went on to explain that his choice to forgo the briefs helped to set things up for the rest of the season. "It establishes the dynamic [between Saxon and Lochlan] from the get-go, from Saxon sleeping in a bed completely naked next to his brother’s, then just walking around naked," he said. "And it’s not like he’s covering himself up with his iPad. He just slowly struts to the bathroom. It gives you a real grip on what their relationship is like."
Warner Bros.
Of course, things end up getting a whole lot weirder for Saxon and Lochlan. After a drug-fueled, drunken full moon party, the pair end up kissing and later engaging in an incestuous threesome with Charlotte Le Bon's Chloe. Although Schwarzenegger was apparently happy to strip down for the earlier scene, he reportedly found the kissing scene a little trickier to film—according to Le Bon, he actually looking physically sick while filming it. Meanwhile, Nivola claimed he almost passed out while filming the threesome. With things getting weirder and weirder for the Ratliff bros, Schwarzenegger has reportedly stopped watching new episodes with his famous parents, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. Of course, that didn't stop Arnold from dropping a pitch-perfect reaction GIF to his son's shocking arc.
Fabio Lovino/Courtesy of HBO
Schwarzenegger has been thrown into the mainstream thanks to his role on Mike White's cult show—but he still manages to stay grounded. "Every morning I go on a walk with my fiancée to the beach,” he told us at InStyle. “It’s just us. No work, no noise. We go down there and just think about what we’re thankful for. That’s a constant in my life. I think it's great to have a moment in your day where you can take stock.”