Patrick Schwarzenegger defends ‘loving’ relationship between The White Lotus brothers
Patrick Schwarzenegger defends ‘loving’ relationship between The White Lotus brothers (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion Pictures)
The White Lotus star Patrick Schwarzenegger has defended the “very odd and weird” dynamic between his character Saxon and on-screen brother Lochlan in the show, which some fans have described as creepy.
Series three has Saxon and Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola) check into the White Lotus Thailand for a family holiday, to help their sister Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) while she writes her university thesis on Buddhism.
Fans have had mixed feelings about Schwarzenegger’s character, with one scene in which Saxon struts around naked and loads up pornography in front of his brother – who also has a nude moment later in the series – sparking concerns that the new series could contain an incest plot.
But Schwarzenegger has defended the storyline, saying Saxon “wants what he thinks is best” for his brother.
“One of the things we worked on as a group, as a family, was to try to create that dynamic: the closeness, but the oddness, the weirdness [that] we thought was normal, the older brother to younger brother relationship,” he said in an interview with Radio Times published on Monday (17 February).
“I think Saxon really does care about his brother. He cares about his sister. He loves his mum and his dad. He looks up to his father like no one else.”
The relationship, although “very odd and weird”, is “very loving at the same time”,” he added.
“It’s just that Saxon has this false perception and idea of what he thinks makes a man and who he thinks he is, and he’s trying to groom his younger brother to become that.
“There are some uncomfortable conversations between us in the bed that are a little weird to show in front of your family… [during] episodes five and six, there will be some times that I take some bathroom breaks from [my] family.”
The actor’s father, Terminator superstar Arnie, had a more tongue-in-cheek response to the nudity, joking on Instagram: “I could claim to be surprised to find out he has a nude scene but what can I say: the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Schwarzenegger Senior famously bared his bum in the opening scenes of the ground-breaking 1984 sci-fi smash about a killer cyborg.
Season three of The White Lotus season three is available to watch on Sky and streaming service NOW in the UK, and on HBO in the US.
Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
How did this story make you feel?
