Arnold, Patrick Schwarzenegger Nepotism Conversation

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3 days ago

When Patrick Schwarzenegger landed the role of Saxon in Season 3 of The White Lotus, it was inevitable that he was going to be subjected to the usual nepotism discourse.
For reference, 31-year-old Patrick had already been acting for 10 years by the time he starred in the hit HBO series, but hadn't really broken into the mainstream before this point.
And in an interview with the Times back in February, Patrick opened up about the frustration that he felt as a result of his last name — and how he even briefly wished that he wasn't a Schwarzenegger so that he could avoid the nepo baby backlash.
If you're wondering, Patrick's dad is Hollywood actor, esteemed bodybuilder, and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his mom is Maria Shriver, a journalist and the niece of former US President John F. Kennedy.
"I know there are people who'll say I only got this role because of who my dad is," Patrick said at the time. "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. I would never trade my life with anyone.'
And Arnold confronted his son over this comment when they were paired up for Variety's latest Actors On Actors series. In the video, which dropped on Tuesday, Arnie expressed his confusion over how 'Schwarzenegger' could ever be considered a hindrance, as it has always been 'a big plus' in his experience.
He said to his son: 'One of the quotes that I read was how it was difficult to get through this because you have the name Schwarzenegger. So explain that to me, because I didn't understand it.'
'To me, the name Schwarzenegger always meant a big plus,' Arnold went on. 'And all of a sudden, you were talking about [how] it can also be kind of an obstacle, explain that.'Patrick then told his dad that he went so far as to consider changing his name for the sake of his career, and revealed that White Lotus creator Mike White was apprehensive about casting him because of his famous family ties.
'I mean, from my side, I feel it in multiple different ways,' Patrick said of the obstacles that come with Schwarzenegger. 'Mike White said it comes with baggage, is what he said. Not meaning our last name, Schwarzenegger, but I think this idea of when you have successful parents, like I do with you and with mom.'
'Anybody out there that's trying to be an actor that's kind of in those shoes, there's an added level of what other people think,' he went on. 'And Mike was worried about, if he cast me, what other people would think — which they did, they did care about that. People said I got the role just because of you or mom, and I think Mike was a little bit apprehensive at first about that.''There were times earlier in my career where I was wondering: 'Does it make sense to go under some sort of alias? Does it make sense to go under a different name? Do I just use Schwarzenegger? Does that add to the comparison?'' Patrick then confessed. 'Ultimately, what you've done with your last name and what you've built is incredible," he added. "It took a while for me to get to a point where I was less worried about comparison and living in your shadow versus me just wanting to carve my own path and wanting to do it the way that I thought I should.'
'Well, I'm glad that you kept the name,' Arnold replied before joking: 'Because now I can take credit: 'Yeah, my son! The apple doesn't fall from the tree!' That's the kind of lines that I'm using now.'
The 77-year-old star then pointed out that nepotism in Hollywood is nothing new, saying: 'You basically joined the shortlist of people that are actors in Hollywood who had famous parents; Jamie Lee Curtis with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Michael Douglas, who I have worked with — and I've worked with his father, Kirk Douglas.'
'There's a whole list of people,' Arnie observed. 'I mean, Jeff Bridges, I've worked with, and there was his famous father, doing the TV series. The list goes on and on and on, and all of them benefited — and also, of course, had to show that they had talent.''I think that if you show that you have the substance, you can get rid of this whole idea of nepotism,' he concluded. 'And I think that everyone recognizes that now.''Of course, I understand that you guys have given me… You know, how hard you've worked throughout your life, and mom, to give the life that I have, and the opportunities that I've had,' Patrick replied. 'I totally understand the life that you guys have given me, but one of the biggest [pieces of] advice you always gave us kids is to work hard, and I feel like I've tried to honor that by working as hard as I can.'
What do you make of Patrick and Arnold's conversation? Let me know in the comments below!