[Editor’s note: The following contains major spoilers for Season 3 of The White Lotus.]

Summary

Season 3 of ‘The White Lotus’ follows the privileged Ratliff family as they vacation in Thailand, facing personal struggles and tensions.

Patrick Schwarzenegger delivers a layered and nuanced performance as Saxon, with a compelling character arc that captivates viewers.

The unique experience of the cast filming together in Thailand for months created a close bond, highlighting the depth and complexity of the series.

The HBO series The White Lotus always has a stellar cast, and the Season 3 ensemble was stacked, from Walton Goggins and Aimee Lou Wood and the tragic love story between Rick and Chelsea, to Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook and Sam Nivola as the vacationing Ratliff family, and Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb and Carrie Coon as a trio of longtime friends reconnecting and catching up. Add to that Natasha Rothwell as the spa manager from The White Lotus in Hawaii, and Lek Patravadi, Lalisa Manobal and Tayme Thapthimthong, who each play a role in the guest experience in Thailand, and the return of Jon Gries, clearly not mourning the untimely demise of Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge). The clearly privileged Ratliff family, made up of parents Timothy and Victoria and siblings Piper, Saxon, and Lochlan, decides to vacation in Thailand, but things quickly start to spiral out of control not long after they arrive. While they were supposed to be relaxing and bonding as a family, Piper’s attempt to run off to a Buddhist temple failed, Saxon and Lochlan found themselves reeling from the lines crossed between them, and Tim was so stressed out about the coming consequences of his shady business dealings that he came close to taking matters into his own hands to resolve it, in the worst possible way. Even though they made it out of the resort and headed back home, it’s anyone’s guess what could come next for them. It seems less a matter of whether The White Lotus might receive nominations and some awards love this season, and more a matter of who from the cast will receive that recognition. As the character that is both the most frustrating and fascinating, and who went from most hated to somehow sympathetic, as a result of the layered and nuanced work delivered by Schwarzenegger, married with the wild imagination of creator Mike White and the words he put on the page. Collider got the opportunity to chat with Schwarzenegger about all things The White Lotus and playing Saxon in Season 3. During the interview, he discussed the unique experience the cast had working together for so many months in Thailand, shooting the emotional roller coaster out of order, the foreshadowing of the finale in the first episode, the change in the fan reaction as viewers started to like Saxon more, that moment when Chelsea is so brutal with her words to Saxon, shooting the uncomfortably intimate scenes between the brothers, that Saxon doesn’t want to deal with his emotions over what happened with Lochlan, the cliff that the Ratliff family patriarch walks his family to the edge of, and that he’d love to return for another season. He also talked about the kind of career he wants and hopes to have, and why his focus his been more on drama than comedy.
Making Season 3 of ‘The White Lotus’ in Thailand Was Such a Unique Experience for the Cast

“You become really close to the people that you’re working with.”

Image via HBO

Collider: It seemed like you had two very different but equally interesting experiences making this series. There was the experience that your character had on screen, and then the one the actors had, just getting to hang out with each other. When you look back on the season as a whole, how meaningful was it to you, as an actor, to share those moments with your fellow cast members? Did it feel different from everything else you’ve done? PATRICK SCHWARZENEGGER: Yeah, by far. This is the only project where I lived in this hotel with the cast and crew for six and a half or seven months. This whole experience was so unique to The White Lotus that it just made it incredible. You become really close to the people that you’re working with. Did you shoot this season in order at all? SCHWARZENEGGER: No. My first day was episode one and episode eight, so I was all over the place. People were like, “Did you shoot this in order, because I liked your character so much more by the end. I think you got better as it went on.” And I was like, “Nope, I actually shot those last scenes on day one. It’s just that you guys liked where the character ended up.” Was it up to you to keep track of where Saxon was at emotionally, or was Mike White really helpful with that? SCHWARZENEGGER: Of course, Mike was helpful, but you have to be responsible for your character and your lines and the journey that you’re going through for the character arc. That was something that I worked on with Mike and that I was just always conscious about when filming and doing each day.

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After I finished watching the season, and especially after I finished watching the finale, I went back and watched the first episode again, and there are so many little things in the first episode that really foreshadow the season. There’s the moment with your character asking how many bedrooms there are and Piper tells Lochlan that he can sleep with her, and Saxon says that it’s weird because brothers and sisters don’t sleep together, and we all know what happened between them later on. And there’s also a reference to the toxic fruit. SCHWARZENEGGER: That’s what Mike does best. He puts little Easter eggs throughout. When you were reading the scripts, did you pick up on those things? Did you not even realize some of that was there until you watched it later? SCHWARZENEGGER: You pick up on things when you reread it. Of course, the first time you’re reading it, you don’t know. You’re always looking for things, but with Mike, you never know what’s actually going to come into play or what’s going to be a false red herring. He likes to take you on a journey, but he also likes to send you on a journey that’s not where it ends up going. He wants you to think that you know where it’s going, but you don’t. The sitting of the three siblings on the boat where it [represented] see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil, that wasn’t written in the script. That’s what he did when we were there on the set because he had that thought, but it wasn’t until I saw the still image of it that I even understood it. And then, that connected to episode eight with us leaving and how he wanted us to sit in a specific way. He thinks of all those things. It’s hard for me to even comprehend because he’s just so ahead.
‘The White Lotus’ Season 3 Was an Opportunity to Explore the Death and Rebirth of Saxon Ratliff

“He walked into The White Lotus the most confident about who he was, or at least who he thought he was.”

Do you feel like your character went on this trip fully confident in who he was in that moment, or do you feel like he was someone that was already questioning things within himself but was posturing so no one realized it? SCHWARZENEGGER: He thought he was very sure of himself. He walked into The White Lotus the most confident about who he was, or at least who he thought he was. Those are two different things. Are you really who you think you are? Are you really who you’re projecting to be? He was very sure of what he was projecting he was. That’s what made the downfall, or the twists and the turns of Saxon, so much more rich and unique. No one saw where he was going to go, and he didn’t see it, which really just allowed for a really fun and unique opportunity to showcase the death and rebirth of who Saxon was, which is a big theme throughout this season. It’s really what makes him the most frustrating and yet somehow also the most fascinating character to watch in the season. Was there a specific episode or moment when people started changing the way they talked to you about the character? SCHWARZENEGGER: Yeah, it was really with the end of episode four, when Saxon got to become a little more loose and fun. Episode five is where it all really started, with the boat and the full moon party. And then, episode six is where people started to feel bad for him and change their tone and stuff. A lot changes for him. It’s not these macro things that happen that change people. These events paint him as such a specific person. With the first four episodes, you really think you know who he is and who he’s going to become, and then a small change becomes really drastic. This guy went from not reading a book to reading a book, and that’s a massive change for him. He actually started sitting and listening. There are so many different aspects of what changes for him.

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The moment when Chelsea tells Saxon that hooking up with him would be an empty experience because he’s soulless was both mean and sad. SCHWARZENEGGER: Totally! How did you feel about that? SCHWARZENEGGER: When she says he’s soulless, that’s a moment where before he would have just scoffed and laughed at her, like in episode one or episode three, but this changed him and he doesn’t even reply back. He just sits there and internalizes it. You watch his eyes clock left to right and he thinks about what she just said. That shows that he’s a different person. Do you think he was genuinely interested in her? SCHWARZENEGGER: Yeah, I think he was interested in her, and in the idea of her and of having someone. It was also the first time that he was treated like that, and it was post everything that happened on the boat. It was just a new version of him that we had never seen. He also seemed so deeply affected by that moment that she then runs up the beach and into Rick’s arms, and they share that moment of connection. What do you think seeing the two of them together made him feel? SCHWARZENEGGER: I think that when he sees her run off, I think part of it’s a game for Saxon because he’s not getting what he wants, but also, I think it’s something that he starts to long for. She talks about her partner, and then we see how she runs off into his arms. It’s a beautiful moment, and it’s a moment for Saxon to reflect and think about what he wants in life and what he wants out of a relationship, which is something that he doesn’t have. He’s always longing for relationships, whether it’s with his dad or with his brother, or whatever that is.
Patrick Schwarzenegger Put His Trust in Creator Mike White for the Intimate Moments Between Saxon and Lochlan

“It was a weird scene to film.”

Image via HBO

What was it like to shoot those intimate moments between these brothers? Were you nervous about shooting those scenes, or were those scenes very clear in the script? SCHWARZENEGGER: Of course, you’re nervous. It was a weird scene to film. You don’t know what it’s going to come across as. You don’t know what it’s going to be like to actually film it. I had already known Sam [Nivola] for so long. It was already months in, and we had become such good friends that it almost made it weirder to film it with him. So, yeah, of course, you’re nervous, but ultimately, you put all your trust into Mike White, what he’s doing, what he’s trying to capture, and what he’s trying to express with what’s happening. You just really put your trust in him. Did you guys have a lot of conversations about those moments and what they should be and how they should be, or are you someone who doesn’t like to over talk scenes? SCHWARZENEGGER: We didn’t over talk it. I wouldn’t say there was that much to talk about with it. The most important thing was that it was a pivotal point for Saxon and for Lochlan, and for their relationship and the power dynamic, and the shift between Saxon and the ladies. The most important thing was that Mike made sure we felt comfortable and made sure that Charlotte Le Bon felt comfortable. That was the most important part. In the end, we just did what we had to do. There’s something so interesting in the contrast between Saxon using his nudity around Lochlan as a sign of confidence and bravado early on, but then being so rocked by what happens between them later on. Did you think about the physicality of that and how you wanted to walk and carry yourself differently in those moments? SCHWARZENEGGER: Yeah, 100%. Body language says so much about a person. You can tell that there’s something different about Saxon, from episode one to episode six. Every part of him changes, from how he talks, how he listens, how he reacts to the girls, what he’s wearing, the kind of clothes he’s wearing, how he’s dressing up his hair, his body language being more hunched over and not as confident as he once was with his swagger walk, strutting through poolside. All of that plays a big part in trying to convey to the audience that there’s a shift and a change happening within the character. How do you think he viewed what happened between himself and his brother? Was it difficult for him to process it because he couldn’t figure out how to really define what happened? SCHWARZENEGGER: He does know what to make of it, but he doesn’t want to think about what to make of it. It’s one of those things where it’s just deny, deny, deny until he dies. Lochlan brings it up and he’s like, “Just don’t. Let’s just forget about this, okay? Let’s just drop it. This never happened.” It’s more of an ego hit to him and he’s just not sure about who he really is anymore. He doesn’t want to confront that.

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In the finale, your father decides to make this concoction for his family to drink that could poison and kill them all. What did you have to drink for that? SCHWARZENEGGER: It was such a nightmare because I actually had a stomach bug that night, and I kept having to drink this awful piña colada for a few sips, until he would hit it out of my hand. Besides that, it was a fun scene to film. The concoction was just a virgin piña colada. Was it tricky to have him slap that out of your hand exactly right? SCHWARZENEGGER: The hard thing was that we didn’t want it to go on people’s wardrobe because we didn’t have multiples of everyone’s wardrobe. It was a weird, tricky thing to try to make it look like I wasn’t anticipating him smacking that out of my hand when we knew it was going to happen, but I think it played well. What did you think about the fact that their father decided to take that step instead of just talking to his family? SCHWARZENEGGER: That’s what Mike loves to write and that’s what he loves to do. He loves to put everyone in the cringiest, most awkward and absurd, but also real situations. What did you learn from working with Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey? SCHWARZENEGGER: I had worked with Parker on The Staircase, so I was already familiar with working with her. This obviously was way more in-depth. But Parker, Jason, and everybody in the cast were incredible to work with. The beauty of being in an ensemble is that you get put together with so many amazing actors and actresses, and you get to learn from them and get to play opposite them. The whole experience is just one of one. I got to learn so much from Jason. He was so amazing to play opposite. He would give me words of advice and feedback on scenes, and how we could try to switch it up and play a scene differently and make it so it wasn’t stale or bring new ideas to it. He’s one of those actors, like when I worked with Colin Firth, that would just be yapping about a football game or about politics or sports or life in their British accent, and then they would say, “Rolling,” and he would just snap into the character within an instant. It was pretty remarkable. Now that you’ve had some time and distance and you’ve gotten to see the final cut of the finale, how do you feel about the way everything played out with all the characters? SCHWARZENEGGER: It was crazy. You hear about what happens through the other actors on the set, and you also see what things got cut. We filmed two hours of footage for that episode and it ended up being 90-something minutes, so he still cut out a lot. It was surprising and shocking to me. It was moving and emotional. And then, there were also things that were left open, that made you want to have another episode. You can’t wait to see what he does with the next season, or if he’d ever bring any of these people back. I think he leaves things open-ended for a reason. I think he closed certain things for a reason. Would you want to return and do another season? SCHWARZENEGGER: I would do it in a heartbeat. He knows that. I would come back as head of craft services if he wanted.
Patrick Schwarzenegger Would Like to See the Ratliff Family Return for Another Season of ‘The White Lotus’

“It’d be fun to see them all go to family therapy.”

Image via HBO

Are there any characters in Saxon’s life that you would want to come back with him if you did return? SCHWARZENEGGER: I:think everybody. The family is the family for a reason. It had a really fun and out-there dynamic between them all. It’d be fun to see them all go to family therapy, or to come back as a different type of family. With all the characters still alive at the end, it feels like there’s a big sense of, “What’s next?,” for all of them. What do you think was next for Saxon, when he got back home? Do you think he ever discussed what happened with his brother again? Do you think he found out about his father attempting to poison his own family? SCHWARZENEGGER: I don’t know. It’s hard for me to say what would happen because that’s really Mike’s world. That’s for him to decide and to say. If he wants to bring us back and if he wants to have more dialogue about what happens with the brothers or what happens with the family, I’m all for it. But I don’t want to say what would happen or not because it’s Mike’s world and it’s really what he’s created and would continue to create. I just put my interpretation of what he’s built on it. When you set out to be an actor, did you have any idea about what kind of career you wanted? SCHWARZENEGGER: I’m attracted to the more dramatic type of roles and the more character-driven roles. I think it’s important to play those types of things. The movie industry isn’t what my dad grew up doing. It’s way different of a landscape now. You don’t get thrust into being an action star, on day one, when you’re in your 20s or 30s. If you look at all the young up-and-coming actors, from Glen Powell to Paul Mescal to Austin Butler to Harris Dickinson to Joseph Quinn, and any of those guys, they’ve all done their fair share of really great dramatic character roles that have thrust them into Fantastic Four or Gladiator or Twisters, and so on and so forth. For me, I hope that I continue that trajectory. It was more important for me to do really actor-driven, character-driven roles, and then eventually get into the bigger tentpole blockbuster action stuff. I feel like the route that I’m going is the route that I want to go, and that I think is the right way for me to go to where I ultimately want to get to. I’m excited about it. Even a decade ago, television wasn’t nearly what it is today. With television, part of the beautiful thing about a show like The White Lotus is that you get people trying to buy into your character for eight weeks. Same with The Staircase for eight episodes. It allows you to really build a character arc and to build this equity of a character, so that people can see you in different ways. That’s the cool part about television. You get to showcase these different, really in-depth storylines about a character for a long period of time. I’ve been really fortunate, whether it was Gen V or The Staircase or The White Lotus or American Sports Story, and so on and so forth, to show different types of characters. And then, hopefully, I’ll get to go do a cool movie one day.

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Do you want to do comedy too? SCHWARZENEGGER: The White Lotus is comedy, but it’s also a drama. The key for it to be comedic is when you’re not playing it comedic. Mike thought it was so funny how serious I played Saxon and the dialogue that Saxon had, which made it comedic. He was so serious when he was talking about porn with his brother, or how hot his sister was, or about the lady boys. He was all serious, and it was just hilarious because of the dialogue. I didn’t specifically study comedy. I’ve played comedic roles in theater. I would do comedy, but that’s not what I would do next. What I really want to do is another dramatic character role. That’s not to say I wouldn’t do comedy eventually, but what I want to do next is still following in that dramatic space.

The White Lotus

Release Date

2021 – 2024

Network

HBO

Showrunner

Mike White

Directors

Mike White

Writers

Mike White

Natasha Rothwell

Belinda Lindsey

The White Lotus is available to stream on Max. Check out the trailer: