Patrick Schwarzenegger, the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger, has delved into what it was like growing up amidst Hollywood’s stars. He recalled spending a lot of time with his father on studio sets. He watched how films were made and discovered the sets, trailers, and backlots, and says that the movie business almost feels like home to him.
Patrick Schwarzenegger on what it was like growing up as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son
Patrick Schwarzenegger recalls small, vivid details from his early trips with his father, Arnold. “We would go to Universal Studios, and he would go into his hair and makeup the trailer. I got to be in his trailer, and I would do my homework in there,” he told a Sun Valley Film Festival panel on December 6, 2025.“It was such a fascinating experience,” he says.
While describing further, Patrick said that he was particularly fond of the craft service table during his childhood. He expressed, “The big trailer had the little ramp you’d walk up, and that was where craft services was. It had all the different candies and all the different foods in there.” Those simple pleasures and visits to theme-park rides from the backlot made the set a “happy place” for him. “It just made me super intrigued with it,” he added.
Patrick points to specific sets that stuck with him, including Batman & Robin (1997) and Terminator 3 (2003). He says watching his father, Arnold Schwarzenegger, leave the trailer as one person and then appear on set as another was a formative lesson in acting and transformation. That early exposure to the industry helped turn his interest into a goal. Patrick ultimately decided to try acting for himself.
Still, Patrick is aware of the public view that his family name opened doors. He has pushed back by describing the work behind his credits. “I know there are people who’ll say I only got this role because of who my dad is,” he told The Sunday Times.
“They’re not seeing that I’ve had 10 years of acting classes, put on school plays every week, worked on my characters for hours on end, or the hundreds of rejected auditions I’ve been on.”
Originally reported by Preksha Sharma on Comingsoon.
