RAISING THE BAR

AFTER MORE THAN A DECADE AS AN ACTOR, THE WHITE LOTUS STAR PATRICK SCHWARZENEGGER IS FINALLY FINDING HIS PLACE IN THE CALIFORNIA SUN. BUT HOLLYWOOD ISN'T THE ONLY THING ON HIS MIND— LUCRATIVE INVESTMENTS AND A GROWING PROTEIN BAR COMPANY ARE KEEPING HIS PLATE PLENTY FULL.

- BY SIMONE MELVIN PHOTOGRAPH BY CODY PICKENS FOR FORBES

JET-LAGGED AND HUNGRY, Patrick Schwarzenegger eyes a craft services table stacked with pastries and sandwiches before turning his attention to the Sugarfish sushi delivery on the table in front of him. The 31-year-old actor and entrepreneur has barely had time to catch his breath in the past two months, having traveled to 15 countries to promote his cult HBO series, The White Lotus.

“I always carry bars on me,” he says, reaching into his pocket to pull out two Mosh protein bars, the brand he cofounded in 2021. “Especially on filming days when you don’t know what the snacks are. I always bring my own.”

Much like his protein shake-obsessed White Lotus character, Saxon Ratliff, Schwarzenegger watches what he eats. The similarities continue: He also graduated from an elite university with a business degree, comes from a powerful family and is no stranger to wealth. But while Saxon had yet to move beyond the luxe life he inherited from his parents, Schwarzenegger is finally making a name for himself—in business and onscreen.

The son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, he grew up in a world of the Hollywood and political elite as the child of an actor-turned-billionaire California governor and a broadcast journalist who happens to be a Kennedy. He fell in love with acting early, often visiting his father's movie sets as a boy.

“There were times where I was, like, ‘Oh, God, these are big shoes to fill. Should I change my last name and have a stage name?’ Those things crossed my mind,” Schwarzenegger admits. “But ultimately, I'm very proud of my dad and the life that he’s given me, and the last name he’s built and the brand he’s built.”

It was his father’s penchant for business that Schwarzenegger adopted first. His mother remembers him as a pre-teen glued to the TV when