Patrick Schwarzenegger’s mom, Maria Shriver, insisted that he is not like his character, Saxon Ratliff, on season 3 of The White Lotus.
“Patrick is not like Saxon. I just want to clear that up ‘cause people say, ‘Is Patrick like Saxon?’” Maria, 69, said during the Tuesday, April 1, episode of Today. “I’m like, ‘Do you think I would’ve raised a Saxon?’”
While Maria said that Patrick, 31, doesn’t have much in common with his character, she did say that she’s “really happy” for him and the show’s success.
“He’s worked so hard. He’s taken acting classes. He gets rejected a lot, and this is finally the role of his life and he’s having a great time with it,” Maria said. “And everybody wants to talk to me about it, so I’m so happy for him.”
Maria even joked that she wants to change the name of her new book, I Am Maria: My Reflections and Poems on Heartbreak, Healing and Finding Your Way Home, to I Am Patrick’s Mom because “all anybody wants to talk to me about is Saxon.”
In addition to Patrick, Maria also shares kids Katherine, 35, Christina, 33, and Christopher, 27, with her ex-husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Additionally, Arnold, 77, shares son Joseph, 27, with Mildred Patricia Baena.
Patrick made his White Lotus debut during season 3 as the eldest child of the Ratliff family. In addition to having a full frontal nudity scene during the season premiere on February 16, the character also got people talking when he engaged in incestuous sexual acts with his brother, Lochlan (played by Sam Nivola).
“I did know that was coming,” Maria told host Savannah Guthrie of Patrick’s nude scene. “He kind of warned me, but not really warned me. But that’s between me and Patrick.”
Maria also revealed that she’s so invested in the show that she “changed [her] whole book tour to be home watching the finale with him” on Sunday, April 6.
However, she shared that Patrick won’t be able to make it to the viewing party due to his work schedule. “He told me he has to work, so I’m gonna have my viewing party without Saxon,” she said.
While Maria said that Patrick will be too busy to watch the finale with her, he previously admitted he didn’t want to watch the season’s final episodes with his family. “I think some upcoming episodes I’m going to watch without them,” he said while appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show on March 25. “[I] would definitely take a bathroom break [if things get too awkward]. The next episodes, they’re crazy.”
Maria’s pride for Patrick is clear, and an insider exclusively told Life & Style that she’s over the moon about his success. “She’s absolutely bursting with happiness for Patrick right now,” the source revealed. “He’s been working towards this acting thing for years and years and it hasn’t been as easy as people might expect, considering his pedigree.”
The insider also shared an update about her relationship with Arnold, who infamously had an affair and conceived a love child during their marriage. “For all Maria’s complaints about Arnold, one thing she has never questioned is his devotion to their kids,” the source said. “He’s always been a very present and loving dad and that’s something she’s always appreciated about him, because Maria’s kids are her whole world.”
