Patrick Schwarzenegger on Working with 'The White Lotus' Cast, His Dream Collaborations & More

PureWow: Could you tell me a bit about how you trained for Saxon's character on The White Lotus? What was that experience like?

Patrick Schwarzenegger: The project was amazing, I enjoyed it tremendously. But we actually didn't have much time from when we got the job until we actually started filming. I think I had three weeks or four weeks that I got the job till day one of filming. My first day filming was actually episode one, [where I'm] shirtless and [have] scenes at the pool. So actually, if you see day one versus what you see in episode three, of me coming in and meeting Chloe by the pool, I'm actually 15 pounds bigger, and I'm like 10 shades darker of a tan because we filmed there for seven months. It was on our off days, I just honestly worked out a lot and I ate the Thai buffet all the time. I got more muscular just from all the time I had working out, but it was an amazing shoot. It was incredible, I wish we could go back.

PW: You are nothing like your character, Saxon, but you play him so well and add depth to that role. How did you go about embodying that character? Who were your inspirations?

PS: I just tried to kind of take personality traits and qualities from different people that I thought would mesh together to make this character Saxon. And so I tried to replicate someone's laugh that I thought sounded kind of like a hyena, and was really funny. I tried to take up the physicality and how another person I know walks, and Parker Posey was actually really funny with that, because she's a big believer in working on the physicality of a character. And how do they walk in, which part of their body did they lead with, and all these different things.

PW: Saxon's fashion choices definitely stand out, how did the team decide on his aesthetic?

PS: We built together a page of what the character would wear, and some examples of different people that we used as a mood board, and that really helps put together a character, too, from those ridiculous glasses with the little band that goes around the head and the salmon-colored shirt with the blue khaki shorts and the flip flop sandals. There's so many different things that go together to make this character who he is.

PW: What were some of the most memorable behind-the-scenes experiences you had while filming The White Lotus season three? How was the overall camaraderie on set?

PS: I can't think of one exact moment [but] we did stuff together all day, every day. We explored the island together. We went out on the boat, we went to the caves together. We went and explored the restaurants and temples and the historic parts of Thailand. We did everything together. That's the beauty of the project, is that you're kind of stuck with all the other actors and actresses and crew members at this hotel. It's like a summer camp mixed with work. And so you're confined in the space with everybody. And you just enjoy the time together in this experience.

PW: You've mentioned before that White Lotus is a dream project for you because you've always wanted to be on the show. Why is that?

PS: White Lotus has been a dream of mine for the last couple of years, just because I've become such a huge fan of the show. But I also really wanted to work with a director like Mike, someone that was the writer, that was also the director, that was also the show runner, that was the creator, but also had an acting background. I also had worked with Amy Poehler in the past, and when she directed me in something, and just working with a director that has an acting background, that's a trained actor, it's such a unique and different experience.

PW: Do you have other dream projects or collaborations?

PS: There's a laundry list of film creators and filmmakers that I would love to work with. I took a whole class in film school on Spielberg. You know, we watched every one of his films, and you dissect them and understand how Hitchcock influenced him and the impact he's had in cinema and the business of cinema. Someone like that would obviously be amazing.

[Martin] Scorsese, [Christopher] Nolan...there's a whole breadth of new, up-and-coming filmmakers that are fantastic. So I don't have necessarily a specific title of a show or a film that I would like, but rather be a specific filmmaker to collaborate with.

PW: You're currently partnering with Running Books, how did this come about? What do you value most about the collaboration?

PS: It really came about in a great, organic kind of matter. I'm someone who loves exercising. I love different forms, from weightlifting to running to long walks, and I was a fan of their Glycerin Max shoes, and how comfortable it was to walk and to run. I think they got wind that I loved it and the partnership was formed from there. So it was really exciting for me.

PW: In what ways has your fitness routine and connection to the outdoors impacted your mental health and overall well-being?

PS: My workouts shift and change based on what I need to do for a specific project or a role. If I need to lose weight or gain weight. But I'm also kind of an addict with working out, I feel like myself and I feel like an operational human being. Once I've worked out in the day, I just feel like a different person. When I've gone for a run, or whether I've worked out in the gym, or I've gone for a long walk just getting outdoors, it's my one-on-one time. It's my alone time [and] it's freeing.

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