The world can be split about Arnold Schwarzenegger's son's rise to Hollywood fame. But you can't deny the depth Patrick brought to his character in his new season of The White Lotus.

The father-son duo joined Variety for a conversation on the Actors on Actors series. Patrick acknowledged recognition as one of the many perks of the job. His father, however, brought a fuller perspective.

"Now everyone is coming up to me in the gym. And they're saying, I mean, your son is fantastic. Then someone else comes up to me and says, 'oh, I hated your son in the series,'" Arnold Schwarzenegger shared.

The White Lotus, an HBO satirical anthology, explores power and privilege as a satirical mystery series.

It has already touched millions of hearts with its cinematic masterpiece in seasons 1-3, with season 4 beginning its production in April this year.

However, it is the dark and complex character of Saxon that is commanding headlines. And that can make even compliments sound like criticism.

"I said you hated him? I said what kind of a compliment is that? And they said 'no, no, I mean, he was fantastic. But the character that he played, he played it so believable,'" Arnold explained. "So the amount of compliments that I've been getting about you is just extraordinary."

But the praise Patrick is receiving now didn't come easy. Patrick spent years on the fringes of Hollywood before landing the role, all while fielding relentless nepotism criticism.

Patrick Schwarzenegger Reflects on Him Being “Known”

Having a popular surname is barely a flex, especially when accusations of nepotism slither into every major project. Patrick landing the HBO series role was much the same story.

Despite 10 years of acting years into his resume already, he hadn't popped into mainstream media yet.

"It's been kind of a weird experience for me, because it is like, from one day to the next, all of a sudden you're kind of, I don't know, ‘known’ or something," Patrick said on the show.

The production process, however, brought Patrick a certain maturity.

"The biggest learning experience for me is how much people associate you with your character," he added. "For me, it was like, people came up to me and told me how much they hated me, in the beginning...then by the end of it, they came up to me saying how much they felt bad for me."

Patrick also mentioned that this whole process has been like a "rollercoaster of emotions" for him. But it also highlighted another feeling: "feeling like they knew me."

The bottom line: public perceptions may be divided, but clearly, Patrick's character struck a chord. What are your thoughts about? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore