Arnold Schwarzenegger reflects on Patrick keeping his last name despite fame fears

Arnold Schwarzenegger is proud of his son. The Hollywood icon was paired with Patrick Schwarzenegger on the Variety special Actors on Actors, with both discussing their bond and their careers as Patrick experiences the highest level of popularity due to his work in "The White Lotus." 

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Arnold and Patrick opened up about many parts of their lives, including their work and why both decided to act. At one point, Arnold asked Patrick about the weight of the Schwarzenegger last name, asking why it was challenging for Patrick to deal with that pressure. 

"There were times earlier in my career when I was wondering, does it make sense to go under an alias?" said Patrick. "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." 

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Arnold was happy that Patrick decided to keep his father's name, because "now I can take credit." More seriously, he said that nepotism can be fought if people have the talent to support it.

"You joined a very short list of people," said Arnold. "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." 

Patrick's thoughts about his father's role as the Governor of California

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Further on in the interview, Patrick discussed how much he loved being a kid and going to Arnold's different movie sets. It was a very different feeling from the one he got once Arnold was elected as the Governor of California. 

Arnold relayed the story: "It was the funniest thing. You coming to me and saying, 'Dad, we had so much fun going to the set and watching you blow things up. And now…'"

"We go to the Capitol," said Patrick. 

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