Patrick Schwarzenegger wanted to change name to avoid nepotism jibes, Arnold is glad he kept it: 'Now I can take credit'

After years of being known as Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s son, 2025 was the year when actor Patrick Schwarzenegger finally found his breakthrough. The success of The White Lotus season 3 ensured that Schwarzenegger was a name unto himself. But this fame and recognition have come after years of work. At one point, the actor even considered changing his name as he felt it was an obstacle in his path. (Also read: Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘couldn’t believe’ son Patrick’s nude scene in The White Lotus: All of a sudden, I see the weenie)

Patrick Schwarenegger wanted to change his name

Patrick and Arnold sat down for Variety’s Actors on Actors 2025 edition to discuss their careers, acting, and more. When Arnold asked Patrick if he felt his famous last name ever felt like an obstacle, the younger actor replied, “I feel it in multiple different ways. Mike White (creator of The White Lotus) said that it comes with baggage, the idea that when you have successful parents like I do with you and Mom, there’s an added level of what other people think. Mike was worried about, if he cast me, what other people would think. Which they did — they did care about that; people said I got the role because of you and Mom. There were times earlier in my career where I was wondering, does it make sense to go under an alias? It took a while for me to get to a point where I was less worried about living in your shadow versus wanting to do it the way I thought I should do it.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger began his career as a bodybuilder in Europe before finding fame as a multiple Mr Olympia winner in the US in 1970s. He took this fame to the movies and became an action star with Conan, before finding his big break with The Terminator in 1984. In the 80s and 90s, Arnold was arguably the biggest movie star in the world, alongside Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone. Needless to say, Patrick faced a lot of comparisons with his father when he first began.

Arnold Schwarzenegger reacts

Reacting to Patrick’s thought about changing his name, Arnold reacted, “I’m glad you kept the name, because now I can take credit. You joined a very short list of people: You know, Jamie Lee Curtis — I think she’s one of the greatest actors in history. If you show you have the substance, you can get rid of the whole idea of nepotism.”

The son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, Patrick began his career with minor roles in the 2000s. As a teenager, he had supporting roles in Stuck in Love, Grown Ups 2 and Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse. After his first lead role in the 2018 film Midnight Sun, he found fame with a recurring role in Gen V, before The White Lotus became his breakthrough.