"The White Lotus' Success Brings Patrick Schwarzenegger Into the Spotlight: Recognition Feels Rewarding"

Patrick Schwarzenegger’s critically acclaimed role in The White Lotus has him being heralded as one of Hollywood’s most handsome talents – but he’s got zero interest in going the muscle man route like his famous father Arnold.

With Patrick, 31, bearing it all in season 3 of the Mike White-led show, a source exclusively tells Life & Style, “It’s pretty hilarious that Patrick is getting famous for taking his clothes off the same way his dad did fifty years ago, but he has such a radically different physique and look than his father.”

Action movie hero Arnold Schwarzenegger, 77, rose to fame flexing for a fee in the super-competitive world of professional bodybuilding and to this day is largely considered the best of the best, even though he officially retired from the sport in 1980 to pursue acting, and then politics, full time.

The former Governor of California’s son, whom he shares with Maria Shriver, isn’t quite the mountain of a man Arnie was in his prime, but is instead going for something of a toned-down build for the cameras.

“For better or worse, The White Lotus has turned him into a Gen Z sex symbol and people can’t stop talking about the sexy vibe he’s putting off on this show,” the source explains. “It’s wonderful that Patrick is going in a different, lighter, more romantic direction with his screen persona, and that’s exactly why it’s going to work. The kid has been plugging away for ten years now and The White Lotus has finally put him on the map in a major way.”

Though, the insider notes Arnold’s other son, Joseph Baena, whom he shares with his former housekeeper, Mildred Patricia Baena, is a fitness influencer who strikes a startling resemblance to his dad. He regularly posts his workouts and poses and is what most would expect Arnold’s kid would look like.

The fact that Patrick wants very little to do with the bodybuilding lifestyle is “crazy” according to the source, who says, “not only does Patrick have a half-brother who is fully going down the Arnold road of becoming a giant muscle man, he also has been personally mentored by his ultra-macho brother-in-law Chris Pratt, who loves looking buff on camera in his many action roles.”

The Guardians of the Galaxy star, 45, underwent a significant transformation from his pudgy Parks and Recreation character to the Marvel hero. When Entertainment Tonight asked him about seeing Patrick in The White Lotus, he responded, “I did not know I was gonna be seeing him fully nude in that way … I love White Lotus. I was a fan of White Lotus before, so when he got it, everyone was super pumped for him,” and added, “Hey, he looks good, you know what I mean? I was like, rock it, bro.”

Nudity isn’t a problem for Patrick, who is focused on his career above all else. “Yes, he had to bare his naked body to do it, but it still has to feel good to finally get the recognition he has been seeking for years,” the insider says.