The White Lotus Season 3 Stars Talk Incest Kiss in Episode 5

Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola are opening up about their incest kiss moment in the latest episode of The White Lotus Season 3.

The fifth episode of The White Lotus Season 3 aired on Sunday, March 16, 2025. Created by Mike White, the new season of the HBO series is set in Thailand and sees Schwarzenegger and Nivola play brothers Saxon and Lochlan Ratliff.

In The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 5, Saxon and Lochlan are hanging out on a boat with two other characters, Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon). Things are getting hot and steamy and, at one point, Chelsea and Chloe encourage the brothers to make out with one another, which they then proceed to do.

What did Patrick Schwarzenegger and Sam Nivola say about The White Lotus Season 3 incest kiss?

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Schwarzenegger said, “If you watch the other seasons, you have an idea of what Mike White’s looking for. I remember the first time he told me what he was looking for with this role, how he wanted him to be this kind of douchebag that was so ridiculous, so without a filter. But also really funny and charismatic — that you loved to hate him, but you also kind of love him.”

Regarding the kiss, specifically, Schwarzenegger said, “There’s always more than what meets the eye of the shock value on screen.”

Nivola added, “He’s just an incredibly insecure guy, a real people pleaser who needs something from the people. He’s not very self-sufficient, he needs love and support from the people around him in his life, and I think he’s willing to go to all the lengths to find the people he loves. There’s a push and pull between sex, and then Piper trying to control his future. But for me? I don’t think Lochlan really gives a shit which path he goes down. I think it’s more that he’s going to choose whichever path feels like it’s with the person who loves him the most.”

The first five episodes of The White Lotus Season 3 are now streaming on Max. New episodes will continue to drop on Sundays, with this season having eight episodes in total.