Patrick Schwarzenegger Recalls White Lotus Audition Process

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2 days ago

It's been said many times before that pretty much everyone in Hollywood is vying for a part in The White Lotus. So, if you're a famous person looking to land a role for Season 4, there are a few things you should know.
Firstly, all the actors in the cast receive exactly the same pay and are billed alphabetically. So, if you're looking for a big paycheck, The White Lotus is not the place for you.
Secondly, no matter how famous or experienced you might be, everyone on the show must audition — and the competition is seriously tough.
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter ahead of the Season 3 finale earlier this year, Carrie Coon, who played Laurie, talked about how 'highly coveted' a White Lotus casting is among actors. 'There's a lot of pressure,' she said. 'Everyone auditions for The White Lotus.'
And if that didn't sound scary enough, her co-star Patrick Schwarzenegger has now revealed what the 'unique' White Lotus audition process actually entails.
For context, Patrick starred alongside Carrie as Saxon Ratliff: the douchey finance bro whose turbulent character arc saw him complete the season as one of the most beloved characters.
This week, during a sit-down conversation with his dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger, for the latest season of Variety's Actors on Actors, Patrick recalled how he landed the part, following accusations that he was only cast because of his famous family connections.
'The first audition I did — it's very unique. They give you one sentence about the character,' he said. 'That was it. And then there were no scripts. There was no other background information.'
Now, I bet you're wondering what Saxon's sentence sounded like. Well, according to Patrick, it was: 'He works for his father in finance, and he's an absolute flirt,' which tracks.
I don't know about you, but preparing for an audition with nothing but a brief sentence sounds totally terrifying. Although, Patrick suggested that there's a method to the madness. 'I think they do it that way so you can put your own interpretation on the self-tape or on the role,' he said.
Luckily, Patrick nailed his self-tape audition on the first try and received a callback 'within 24 hours' asking him to read for the show's writer, director, and showrunner, Mike White. 'About a week later is when I actually booked it and got the role,' he recalled.
Notably, in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, The White Lotus casting director Meredith Tucker recalled being impressed by Patrick's first audition, calling it a 'very, very strong self-tape.' 'I remember him being very present and dropping into the character very realistically — the confidence,' she said. 'It seemed like he understood the kind of guy he was playing.'
Well, good for you, Patrick, because I certainly couldn't have pulled that off.