We're just one episode into the third season of The White Lotus and it's already shaping up to be yet another masterpiece of misogyny, if Patrick Schwarzenegger's character is anything to go by at least.
The child of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver plays Saxon, the eldest son of the Ratliffs, a wealthy Southern family, which comprises father Timothy (Jason Isaacs), mother Victoria (Parker Posey), younger sister Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and youngest brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola).
In true White Lotus style though, this isn't any old family — despite their mother's protestations to the contrary — and fans of the series were quick to note the strange simmering sexual undertones between the siblings, which Schwarzenegger has since opened up about honing on-set.
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In an interview with Radio Times, the actor explained that he and his on-screen family worked hard to hone what he described as the characters’ 'weirdness' towards one another, which they consider to be 'normal'.
During the third season's premiere, which aired on HBO on February 16, Saxon referred to his sister Piper as 'pretty hot' after he protested that Piper should not sleep in the same room as their younger brother Lochlan as they have 'full grown genitals'.
Towards the end of the episode, with Saxon and Lochlan eventually sharing a room, Saxon made a series of remarks about his sister’s attractiveness and sex life before asking about his brother’s taste in porn. He then wondered how he’d be able to 'jerk off all week' with his brother in the room, before walking to the bathroom fully nude to do precisely that while Lochlan watched him.
'I think that Saxon actually really does care about his brother,' the actor insisted. 'He cares about his sister. He loves his mum and his dad. He looks up to his father like no one else.
'And I think that the relationship with his brother – although it’s very odd and weird, which is what Mike [White, the writer of The White Lotus] wanted – it’s still very loving.'
He added: 'Saxon has this false perception and idea of what he thinks makes a man and who he thinks he is, and he’s trying to groom his younger brother to become that.'
Schwarzenegger expanded further on the family's dynamic separate interview with Vanity Fair, where he said that the story is set to take us 'way beyond where your imagination would think it would go'.
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Naomi May is a seasoned culture journalist and editor with over ten years’ worth of experience in shaping stories and building digital communities. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard, where she worked across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Digital Editor at ELLE Magazine and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others. Naomi is also the host of the ELLE Collective book club.
