White Lotus' Patrick Schwarzenegger defends Saxon's controversial relationship with his brother

19 February 2025, 11:50

White Lotus' Patrick Schwarzenegger defends Saxon's controversial relationship with brother Lochlan. Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images, HBO

By Sam Prance

"I think that the relationship with his brother, although it’s very odd and weird...it’s still very loving."

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If you watched The White Lotus season 3 and were shocked by the scenes between rich brothers Saxon and Lochlan, you weren't the only one. However, Patrick Schwarzenegger has now defended the relationship between the siblings.

As soon as we're introduced to the Ratliff family in The White Lotus season 3, it's clear that something's off. Not only does Saxon insist that he share a bedroom with Lochlan but he later asks his brother what kind of porn he's into. He then walks to their bathroom naked to masturbate and closes the door when he sees Lochlan watching him.

As a result, some people have criticised The White Lotus for alluding to a potential "incest storyline" between Saxon and Lochlan. Meanwhile, others have praised the series for exploring weird family dynamics in such a visceral way.

Now, Patrick Schwarzenegger, who plays Saxon in The White Lotus, has entered the chat about the Ratliff brothers.

Read more: White Lotus' Patrick Schwarzenegger confirms he didn't use a stand-in for his nude scene
Read more: White Lotus' Sam Nivola age, height, previous roles and who he's dating

Inside White Lotus season 3 episode 1

Speaking to Radio Times about Saxon and Lochlan and the Ratliff family at large, Patrick said: "I think that one of the things that we worked on as a group, as a family, was to try to create that dynamic: the closeness, but the oddness, the weirdness [that] we thought was normal, the older brother to younger brother relationship."

Patrick then defended Saxon by adding: "But I think that Saxon actually really does care about his brother. 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 creator of The White Lotus] wanted, it’s still very loving.”

Sam Nivola as Lochlan in The White Lotus season 3. Picture: HBO

Explaining where Saxon is coming from, Patrick said that Saxon is essentially trying to groom Patrick to become the kind of man he wants to be: "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."

He continued: "He doesn't want anything for him to do with his sister, who he thinks is completely lost and is out of her mind that she's even attempting to look at Buddhism and be in this foreign country away from America."

Defending his nude scene specifically, Patrick told Vanity Fair: "The end of the first episode, that scene was one of my favourite scenes. I just thought it was so awkward and brilliant at the same time."

He ended by saying: "It just showcases who my character is.”