How Did "Nepo Baby" Patrick Schwarzenegger Get His 1st Role in Hollywood, Was It Because of Arnold?
Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Hollywood journey began quite early with a modest role at only 10 years old, playing “Sports Kid Number 3” in the 2006 film The Benchwarmers. Despite being the son of a legendary actor and former governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger and journalist Maria Shriver, Patrick’s introduction to Hollywood wasn’t a direct result of his father’s reputation.
It was Patrick’s own interests and initiative that led him to this early role. Throughout his childhood, he accompanied his father to movie sets, sparking his fascination with the industry. He pursued acting earnestly, got a degree in Business with a minor in cinematic arts at the University of Southern California. It was Patrick’s commitment to honing his craft that drove his initial foray into acting.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s support throughout Patrick Schwarzenegger’s career has been more emotional than instrumental. Patrick has always wanted to create a path of his own, and Arnold respected that. In a recent Variety interview where the father-son duo can be seen together, Patrick admitted to even considering using an alias so as to avoid “nepo baby” allegations. He eventually kept his father’s last name and went on to build a career for himself. Patrick recalled:
It took me a while to get to a point where I was less worried about like and living in your shadow versus me just wanting to carve my own path.
To this, Arnold humorously replied:
Well, I’m glad that you kept the name, because now I can take credit.
In an interview with C Magazine, Patrick talked about his father’s legacy and what it’s been like trying to build a career independent of his father’s standards. He expressed his outlook toward acting, saying:
I don’t ask my dad for any acting advice. He’s a movie star. It’s not that I don’t want to become that one day, but I want to focus on trying to get my feet wet in acting roles, then one day come to do those types of movies. We have two different routes of how to go about it.
He added:
He’s all about, ‘You should be number one on the call sheet, the biggest name, your name should be on the poster. Go big.’ I’m of the opposite mindset. By going small and continually growing with my roles, I’m trying to build my résumé.
While Arnold’s legacy has always loomed large, he is said to have maintained a hands-off approach regarding Patrick’s acting pursuits.
Patrick, who studied theatre at USC and with Nancy Banks (via Forbes). He earned a few small roles during that duration in projects like Scream Queens and Grown Ups 2. Apart from these, Patrick has steadily worked on building his filmography with appearances in films like Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse and Stuck in Love.
His first leading role in a film came when he played the main character opposite Bella Thorne in Midnight Sun; he portrayed a young man falling for a girl with a rare medical condition.
He continued to branch out in terms of roles with performances in Echo Boomers and Daniel Isn’t Real. In 2023, Patrick landed the role of the main lead, Luke Riordan, in Gen V, a spin-off of Amazon Prime’s The Boys. His most recent and notable role, which included a controversial incestuous scene as well, was that of Saxon Ratliff in the 3rd season of HBO’s The White Lotus.
Throughout his career, Patrick has consistently shown commitment to challenging roles, trying to establish his own identity in an industry that’s quick to label him a “nepo baby”. While his lineage is undeniable, Patrick has worked tirelessly to carve his own niche.
