In the third season of The White Lotus, Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Saxon Ratliff earns a special badge worn only by Jake Lacy’s Shane Patton and Theo James’s Cameron Sullivan: entitled rich white guy the internet loves to hate on. Within the first three episodes, Ratliff has degraded women, whined about money, and encouraged his younger brother to get laid, even going so far as to walk naked in front of him in their shared bedroom. This prompted cries of incest on X and zany theories about the Ratliff family, with Saxon found in the center of most.
Schwarzenegger, of course, is markedly different from his character. Happily engaged with a laid-back personality, he had fun playing the villain for a change. The rising star is excited for audiences to see how Saxon’s story progresses, alluding to upcoming twists and turns. “You haven’t seen anything yet,” he says. “After [episode] three or four is really where things start to take off. Buckle up.”
He also stars in Banana Republic’s newest campaign—fittingly, a collaboration with The White Lotus—alongside podcast host Shanina Shaik. The collection is ready for a trip to the resort, with nods to Thailand, and also reflects the retailer’s commitment to craftsmanship.
Below, Schwarzenegger discusses the collection, his White Lotus character, and how to get that much-talked-about body.
What was it like working with Banana Republic?
This whole process has been really quite surreal and amazing. This season has been a lot different than past seasons, because [The White Lotus has] really started to do a lot of branded collabs. It was actually quite genius of Banana Republic to do a capsule collection that’s inspired by The White Lotus. It’s this resort-chic wear that’s perfect for spring and summer. It was just really cool to be able to collaborate and work on it with them.
How does it feel to be a part of such a popular and beloved series?
Honestly, it means everything. I always have said this, and I sound like a broken record, but it’s just been a dream come true. It’s been overwhelming just how big of a show this is right now and the cultural impact it’s been having. I’ve been part of a lot of different shows and movies throughout the last decade, but nothing of this caliber. It’s been jaw-dropping to see the response.
Your character has prompted visceral reactions from fans. What has the feedback been from your friends and family?
They’re all huge fans of the show, so it’s been amazing to be able to watch the episodes with them. I think that the conversation about the character is warranted, and it’s great. It means I’m doing the right job with him. [Creator] Mike [White]’s written every character how he wants, and builds the character with you to display the type of people they are. And we’re only just starting. The characters are still forming for a lot of people, and there’s still a long way to go to see where each and every person heads in their arc.
How embedded have you been in the theories that are going around?
I don’t have a TikTok, but I know that [the conversation around Saxon has been] big there, because my fiancé [Abby Champion] will show me things. Last night, she was showing me something about The Staircase, which was another TV series I did, and how [there are Ratliffs in] The Staircase, and we’re the Ratliffs in The White Lotus, and all these different theories about that, which I thought was cool and funny. But, I probably don’t know everything that maybe you know. I see stuff that comes up on Instagram.
It must be fun to see theories and know if they’re true or not, though.
It is, it is. Also, my fiancé doesn’t know anything that happens. She visited [set] twice for a couple of weeks, so she knows a little bit about certain scenes, but she doesn’t know anything about where my character goes or where the show goes. She’s also giving me her theories. She’ll say a theory, and then she’ll be like, “Is that right? Tell me if that’s right.” I’ll be like, “I’m not telling you anything.” So yeah, I get to hear some fun stuff.
Your body is on display a lot in the show. What was your fitness regimen? How did you prepare?
In episode three, there’s a shirtless moment, but it was filmed in the tail end of the shoot, after six months. In the first episode, that scene was my first day. So, I didn’t really have any time to prepare for [the first moment], to be more in shape or ripped. You’ll be able to see kind of a difference from episode one to episode three, because on all my off days, I would just work out and eat the Thai buffet. It was pretty much chicken, rice, and egg noodles. Broccoli. I was a buffet hound, eating pad thai with chicken and rice. I gained probably 12 or 14 pounds over the couple of months that we were filming; [I’m] a lot more muscular in the later episodes. When you’re out there, you can’t really control what you’re eating to a degree. You’re not making your own food or shopping or getting your own snacks. You’re kind of just eating what’s at the hotel.
My training, size, and eating changes depend on the character or person I’m trying to embody. With this character, Mike had written a lot about him obsessing over his body to be the kind of person he thought he was—the smoothies and the creatine—and they talked about steroids and all these different things. It’s definitely on your mind if it has to do with the character, because anything that has to do with the character, from his lines to his wardrobe to how he walks, how he talks, and how they look, that’s what’s embodying the character. That’s what’s giving off the vibe to the audience.
What was it like portraying someone so different from who you are in real life?
It was definitely fun to play it and to work on the character. I think one of the things was even just the physicality—how he walked and working with movement coaches. I mean, it’s fun to play a character like this. Then it’s also weird when you have people in the streets come up to you and say, “Are you really like that with your brother?” And I’m like, “Oh my God.”
It must be odd to have people think the character reflects you in some way.
Exactly. But, I can’t control everyone’s thoughts, and stuff like that. I’ve done other projects where I play a totally different character. I guess this show is watched by so many people, that probably for a lot of people it’s their first time even seeing me, so it’s just a different experience.
You were in Thailand for six months. Did you get homesick?
It’s an extra-weird experience because of the 15-hour time difference. When you wake up, your family or your fiancé, they’re going to sleep. When they’re waking up, you’re going to sleep. You definitely get homesick. But that’s part of the project and part of the process. You build a new short-term family over there, and you build these memories and bonds with some of the other castmates and some of the crew. We got really close and tight-knit, and we built memories that I’ll have forever.
How much did you know about Blackpink before The White Lotus? What was it like meeting Lisa?
I’m embarrassed to say I did not know who she was. I had heard of Blackpink, but I did not know who Lisa was, and I think that’s probably nice for me. It was probably nice for her. I think when you go to a set like this and you’re camped out with everybody, we’re all in it for the same reasons. [We want] to build a really great project that hopefully entertains people, and we get to build really cool characters. We just don’t care who anybody is, in a way. We each treat each other the same. She was an amazing friend on set and has been after. She’s extremely talented. She was extremely loved by everyone, and I can’t wait to continue to watch where her career goes. I actually went to her album release party.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.