<p id=”par-1_11″>Maria Shriver was not prepared for <em>The White Lotus </em>Season 3.</p>
<p id=”par-2_53″>The former journalist’s <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/arnold-schwarzenegger-maria-shriver-distance-celebrate-son-patrick-the-white-lotus-premiere.html/”>eldest son Patrick Schwarzenegger</a> made waves when he bared it all in the season premiere of the hit <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/hbo/?swcfpc=1″>HBO</a> show. Among the show’s shocked viewers was his mom. She knew the episode involved nudity, but she admits that she didn’t realize exactly what she’d be seeing when she tuned in. </p>
<p id=”par-3_25″>“I did know <em>that</em> [scene] was coming. He kind of warned me but not really warned me,” Shriver told <a href=”https://www.today.com/video/maria-shriver-changed-her-book-tour-to-see-son-in-white-lotus-235961413707″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Today</em></a>’s Savannah Guthrie on April 1. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-patrick-schwarzenegger-is-not-like-his-character-on-the-white-lotus”>Patrick Schwarzenegger is not like his character on ‘The White Lotus’ </h2>
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Prestige TV’s New Shock Factor: How ‘The White Lotus’ Redefines the Boundaries of Storytelling </a>
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<p id=”par-4_42″>Schwarzenegger’s <em>White Lotus </em>character, Saxon Ratliff, is the cocky eldest son of a wealthy Southern family. Initially, he comes off as the ultimate alpha male. But his confident facade crumbles following a drug-fueled incestuous encounter with his younger brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola). </p>
<p id=”par-5_50″>“There’s … something subtly off about him. I wanted people to have suspicions about Saxon, that something about him wasn’t clicking correctly,” Schwarzenegger told <a href=”https://www.menshealth.com/entertainment/a64224280/patrick-schwarzenegger-white-lotus-interview/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Men’s Health</a> of his character, adding that he drew inspiration from Bradley Cooper in <em>Wedding Crashers </em>and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/christian-bales-american-psycho-co-star-felt-acting-bogus.html/”>Christian Bale in <em>American Psycho</em></a><em> </em>when crafting his character<em>.</em></p>
<p id=”par-6_29″>While Schwarzenegger and his character share some superficial similarities, such as an interest in fitness, Shriver stressed that she didn’t see a lot of her son in Saxon. <em> </em></p>
<p id=”par-7_33″>“Patrick is not like Saxon. I just want to clear that up because people say, ‘Is Patrick like Saxon?’ Like, do you think I would’ve raised a Saxon?” she said with a laugh. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-will-saxon-die-in-the-white-lotus-season-finale”>Will Saxon die in ‘The White Lotus’ season finale?</h2>
<p id=”par-8_28″>Thanks to his scene-stealing performance as Saxon, Schwarzenegger has become <em>The White Lotus </em>Season 3’s breakout star. His proud mom couldn’t be more delighted for her son’s success. </p>
<p id=”par-9_29″>“I’m really happy for him,” she told Guthrie. “He’s worked so hard. He takes acting classes. He gets rejected a lot. This is finally the role of his life.” </p>
<p id=”par-10_26″>Despite some of this season’s out-there twists, Schwarzenegger says both his parents are enjoying <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/the-white-lotus-season-3-fans-overthinking-kate-jaclyn-laurie-dynamic-according-leslie-bibb.html/”><em>The White Lotus</em></a><em>. </em>His dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger, thought the premiere was hilarious.</p>
<p id=”par-11_45″>“After the first episode, he was cracking up over the scene in the bedroom. He thought it was so funny and so absurd,” Schwarzenegger said. “And I know my mom is caught up, and she’s loving it. She’s a huge fan of <em>The White Lotus</em>.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_51″>And like the rest of the show’s fans, Shriver is eagerly – and nervously – awaiting the April 6 season finale, when the identity of the dead body seen in episode 1 will finally be revealed. She’s crossing her fingers Saxon isn’t the one who ends up face-down in the pool. </p>
<p id=”par-13_9″>“I hope Saxon doesn’t die this week,” she said. </p>
<p id=”par-14_15″><em>The White Lotus </em>airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO. Episodes also stream on Max. </p>
<p id=”par-15_11″><em>For more news and exclusive interviews, follow </em><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/showbizcheatsheet/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram</em></a><em>.</em></p>