One White Lotus season three star has responded to criticism over his casting

Why everyone is talking about the monkeys in The White Lotus season 3 — (Image credit: © Home Box Office, Inc. All rights reserved. HBO® and all related programs are the property of Home Box Office, Inc.)

The White Lotus season three is officially underway, with the third instalment of the HBO show taking place in Koh Samui, Thailand. And from the Instagrammable filming locations and White Lotus inspired travel trends to the viral fan theories, season three has been making non-stop headlines.

It is the A-list cast that has been getting the world talking the most, with season three featuring major names from Aimee Lou Wood and Michelle Monaghan to Carrie Coon and Natasha Rothwell.

And with The White Lotus regarded as one of the best gigs in TV right now, the internet appears to have some thoughts on casting.

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This has particularly surrounded actors Sam Nivola and Patrick Schwarzenegger, playing brothers Lochlan and Saxton Ratliff in season three, with the internet fixated on their A-list parents.

Sam Nivola, 21, is the son of Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, 31, is the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver.

And with the two young actors coming from Hollywood families, they have been labelled 'nepo babies', with some even questioning if it was their powerful family connections that bagged them the season three roles.

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This is something that Schwarzenegger recently addressed, opening up about the repo baby narrative in a recent interview with The Sunday Times.

"I know there are people who’ll say I only got this role because of who my dad is," Schwarzenegger explained in the recent interview, before defending his casting. "They’re not seeing that I’ve had 10 years of acting classes, put on school plays every week, worked on my characters for hours on end or the hundreds of rejected auditions I’ve been on."

He continued: "Of course, it’s frustrating and you can get boxed in and you think at that moment, I wish I didn’t have my last name. But that’s a small moment.

"I would never trade my life with anyone," he added. "I’m very fortunate to have the life and family that I have, the parents I have and the lessons and values they’ve instilled in me."

The White Lotus season three episodes air on Sky and streaming service NOW every Monday.

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. After working at Marie Claire UK for seven years - rising from intern to Features Editor - she is now a freelance contributor to the News and Features section.

In 2021, Jenny was named as a winner on the PPA's '30 under 30' list, and was also listed as a rising star in journalism.