‘The White Lotus’ Star Patrick Schwarzenegger Explains Why Saxon Mistakenly Says “Swastika” as a Thai Greeting: “He Doesn’t Care About What You Think”
The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 4 “Hide or Seek” let some of the funniest — and most odious — characters on the HBO show collide. The Ratliffs join Greg, aka Gary (Jon Gries), aboard his yacht. There, they mix with the misanthropic Rick (Walton Goggins), chipper Chelsea (Aimee Lou Wood), seductive Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), and a slew of Rick’s sleazy ex-pat friends and their women.
Women, whom the douchey eldest Ratliff child, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), tries to woo with his trademark swarm.
**Spoilers for The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 4 “Hide or Seek,” now streaming on MAX**
About twenty-five minutes into The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 4 “Hide or Seek,” Saxon convinces younger brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola) that they should totally hit on these attached women lounging on the boat. He pressures Lochlan to drink and follow his lead.
As Saxon heads over to the sunbathing beauties, he botches the Thai greeting for women that is supposed to go, “Sah-wah-dee kha.” Instead, he says, “Swastika.” (Sheesh!)
Yes, Saxon really does say “Swastika” in The White Lotus Season 3 Episode 4 “Hide or Seek.” You did not hear that wrong. An odious character named Saxon, of all names, cheerfully shouts the word synonymous with hate and Nazism.
When DECIDER spoke to The White Lotus star Patrick Schwarzenegger during the HBO show’s recent press junket, he confirmed this line was in series creator/director/writer Mike White’s script. It wasn’t a mistake and it wasn’t improvised. Schwarzenegger also defended Saxon’s potentially Freudian slip.
“Yeah. You know, he’s not purposely doing it,” Schwarzenegger said, “but I mean, it is in the script.”
The White Lotus actor also revealed that the script originally had Lochlan correct his older brother. In the show, we can only see Sam Nivola ruefully shake his head.
“They kind of took out the next part,” he said. “Lochlan looks at me and goes, ‘Dude, that’s not how you say it.’”
Originally, Schwarzenegger said, Saxon shrugs it off and pushes his brother to talk to the girls on the boat. “But they cut that part out,” he said.
Schwarzenegger said he thought that maybe White wrote that line to purposes leave it up to audiences to interpret. He also said that he thinks its indicative of Saxon’s personality.
“Saxon, that’s part of who he is. You know, he doesn’t care about what you think or what you know, how you’re properly supposed to say, whatever,” Schwarzenegger said.
“He’s living in his own world and he’ll say what he thinks he hears.”
The White Lotus returns on Sunday, March 16 on HBO and MAX.
