Patrick Schwarzenegger, whose parents are Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, 77, has revealed he still finds it “frustrating” that people put his success down to his famous parents.
Patrick, 31, has a standout role in the third season of the hit series The White Lotus and shocked viewers with a full on nude scene in the opening episode.
He said: “I know there are people who’ll say I only got this role because of who my dad is.
Pointing out that he’s “had 10 years of acting classes,” “worked on characters for hours on end” and experienced “hundreds of rejected auditions”, he added: “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.”
The actor, whose dad started out as a world champion bodybuilder before forging a highly successful acting career and a spell as a Governor of California from 2003 to 2011, said: “I’m very fortunate to have the life and family that I have, the parents I have and the lessons and values they’ve instilled in me.”
Prior to acting as Saxon Ratliff in The White Lotus, Patrick had prominent roles in Scream Queens, The Staircase and American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez.
He credited his dad, whose movies included the Terminator franchise, for his love of acting and said he began loving the craft “early, of course, given who my dad was.”
However, his parents also encouraged him to dip his toe into different industries, and he works with both of them on various professional projects.
“My dad was always a believer that you don’t need to fit into one box, that there are ways to let various worlds collide,” he said. “His advice is always on the side of working hard and vision and career.
“My mom is deeper with her advice, setting values of respect and kindness and manners, and always finding ways to give back.”
Patrick is one of Arnold and Maria’s four kids. His sister Katherine Schwarzenegger is married to Chris Pratt, Maria, 69, is a bestselling author and a former news anchor who comes from the Schriver and Kennedy families.
Her uncle is the late John F. Kennedy, America’s 35th President who was assassinated in 1963.
The A-listers tied the knot in 1986, but they split in 2011 and went through a 10-year divorce battle after it was revealed Arnold had fathered son Joseph Baena with their housekeeper, Mildred “Patty” Baena.
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