After years in the spotlight, Patrick Schwarzenegger is achieving success and critical appreciation like never before thanks to The White Lotus.
The 31-year-old plays the delightfully antagonistic Saxon Ratliff on the third season of the Mike White Emmy-winning show, which airs its season finale on April 6.
Ahead of episode eight’s arrival, he sat down with Men’s Health to discuss his journey to the show, his other roles, plus filming in Thailand for seven months. Catch a glimpse of the show below…
Patrick noted that one thing especially that had transformed over that time was his weight, mentioning that he had gained between 12-15 lbs during the months he spent filming.
He attributed that to his desire to keep working out while there, motivated more so by Saxon’s own proclivity for the gym, adding that one could even observe it between shots.
“I’ve always loved working out. We grew up with it,” he told the publication, referring to his famously muscular dad Arnold Schwarzenegger. “And I change my workout regimens and my eating based on what the character is supposed to be like.”
© Alamy Stock Photo“I got this job and within three to four weeks, we were filming. It was fast,” Patrick continued. “My first day of filming on-set was when we shot all of my shirtless scenes at the pool, including episode 1, when I’m walking by the pool.”
“And then about four months later, we did one other shirtless pool scene for episode 3. It’s really funny. If you actually look closely, you can see the difference in how much weight I’ve gained.”
“I’m way tanner and way chunkier and more muscular in episode 3,” he pointed out. “I was working out constantly and eating chicken and rice and pad thai every day, all day. I gained 12 to 15 pounds throughout the seven months we were there, which was not great for continuity, but was fun.”
© Getty ImagesPatrick compared the experience to filming the superhero show Gen V. “For Gen V, I was probably 20-ish pounds lighter. That’s just because I had shoulder surgery right before filming, so I’d lost a lot of weight. I was actually very soft during Gen V.”
“[The White Lotus] was way different,” he continued, particularly shouting out the showrunner himself. “When we were in Thailand, I would work out with other cast members. Mike White is in extreme shape.”
“He measures everything, including his heart rate variability and his VO2 max, with his Whoop band, his Apple Watch, and his Oura Ring. He’s always working out all day, eating a specific diet, and he’s got his trainer there and his chef there.”
© Instagram“We’d work out at the gyms — luckily, we had a good gym at the hotel,” the actor recalled. “We’d go on beach runs, and runs around the island and in the cities when I was there.”
He also credited being in Thailand for aiding one of his biggest loves — coffee. “You know what? They spoiled me. I’m a cold brew fanatic, and I like it really strong,” Patrick quipped.
© Getty Images“There’s this one coffee roaster right in Fisherman’s Village in Koh Samui, and they made my cold brew really strong and then gave it to me every day on-set in this little individual-sized bottle. It was perfect.”
