Jun 04, 2025 09:20 AM IST
Arnold Schwarzenegger says that his son Patrick’s infamous nude scene in The White Lotus season 3 took him by surprise.
The success of The White Lotus season 3 ensured that Patrick Schwarzenegger was no longer just known as the son of Arnold. The actor won acclaim for his role on the show, and also ignited some social media fervour with his bare-naked scene. In a recent interaction with Variety, Arnold said the scene took him by surprise when he first saw it, but he was able to connect it with his own career choices.
Arnold Schwarzenegger on Patrick’s nude scene
Arnold and Patrick sat together for an episode of Variety’s Actors on Actors 2025 edition to discuss acting and much more. Talking about Patrick’s nude scene on The White Lotus, Arnold said, “I couldn’t believe [it]. I said to myself, ‘I’m watching your show, and I’m watching your butt sticking out there.’ And all of a sudden, I see the weenie. What is going on here? This is crazy. Then I said to myself, ‘Well, Arnold, hello. You did the same thing in Conan and Terminator, so don’t complain about it.’ But it was a shock to me that you were following my footsteps so closely.”
Arnold famously went nude for The Terminator, his breakthrough film in 1984. The film’s success made the Austrian bodybuilder a global movie star. Directed by James Cameron, The Terminator went on to spawn multiple sequels, with Arnold reprising his role in four of them.
Patrick Schwarzenegger on similarities with Arnold
Talking about the similarities between their nude scenes, Patrick added, “Oh, yeah. I guess the similarity from Terminator to White Lotus was that you were working on a project with James Cameron, who is one of the greatest directors of all time. For me, it was a blessing to work with the writer, the director, the creator of White Lotus — because Mike does everything.”
The son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Patrick began his career with minor roles in the 2000s. As a teenager, he had supporting roles in Stuck in Love, Grown Ups 2 and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. After his first lead role in the 2018 film Midnight Sun, he found fame with a recurring role in Gen V, before The White Lotus became his breakthrough.
