Sam Nivola Opens Up About 'Shocking' The White Lotus Season 3 Incest Scene with Patrick Schwarzenegger: ‘Totally Didn’t Feel...’

Sam Nivola, who plays Lochlan Ratliff in The White Lotus, discusses the shocking twist in the latest episode, how it reflects the toxic family dynamics, and what it means for his character’s future.

Written by Sakina Kaukawala , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 24, 2025 | 09:17 AM GMT | 11.5K

Sam Nivola in White Lotus (via Instagram/Sam Nivola)

Sam Nivola, who plays Lochlan Ratliff in The White Lotus Season 3, was just as shocked as viewers by the dramatic turn in the previous episode. The storyline revealed that Lochlan and his older brother Saxon, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, went beyond a kiss during the Full Moon Party.

“I totally didn’t feel it coming,” Sam Nivola told W in an interview. However, upon reflection, he believes it fits into the show’s larger themes. “It’s a very dramatic way of providing a metaphor to explain the relationship between these characters and how it’s unhealthy and needs to change.”

Nivola, the son of actors Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola, approached Lochlan’s character with a clear perspective. He said he always tries to have a mantra for his characters and described Lochlan as "insecure" and "caught between childhood and adulthood".

To prepare for the role, Nivola researched Southern culture and spoke to someone from a prominent Chapel Hill family. He stated that in wealthy Southern families, parents are often absent, with fathers focused on work and mothers relying on medication, while children are raised by nannies. As a result, he said, family members may not be as close as in a typical household.

Nivola formed a strong bond with his co-stars Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sarah Catherine Hook, who play his siblings. He said that Patrick felt like a real older brother to him and described both co-stars as two of his best friends.

Discussing their sibling dynamic, he stated that while Saxon and Piper might appear to be guiding their younger brother, their actions were driven more by their own competitiveness. He stated that rather than genuinely trying to help Lochlan, they were focused on justifying their own beliefs about life.

While The White Lotus often shows characters changing by the end of their stay, Nivola does not believe that was the case for Lochlan. He recalled an interesting conversation with creator Mike White, who told him that many people never change and remain stuck in their ways.

Despite everything Lochlan experiences, Nivola feels that the character did not show significant growth. He stated that, as the youngest person on the show, one might expect Lochlan to learn something about himself, but he did not think that actually happened.