The White Lotus is back on our screens, boasting mostly a fresh cast for another mystery set amidst opulent surroundings. HBO's anthology series has shifted its setting to a wellness resort in Thailand this time, but we can still expect a plethora of dark secrets to unravel. The show continues to be penned and directed by Mike White, who kickstarted his career as a writer for Dawson's Creek and bagged an Emmy for the first season of White Lotus.
Interestingly, this year's cast features more than one star known as Hollywood's big-name nepo babies. Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of Arnold, is already making waves with his character's scanty attire in the opening episode. He's joined by another actor who had a helping hand at the start of their acting journey. Sam Nivola portrays Lochlan, the youngest son of Timothy and Victoria Ratliff, and brother to Piper. The character is described as a shy high school senior, reports the Mirror US. But who is Sam when the cameras stop rolling? Who are his famous parents, where might you have seen him before, and who is he dating? Here's all you need to know.
Sam Nivola, the British-American actor, was born in London in 2003 and spent his formative years split between Notting Hill and Brooklyn, New York. Sam's father is the renowned American actor Alessandro Nivola, who boasts an impressive filmography. Just last year, he featured in award favourite The Brutalist and took on the role of comic book villain Rhino in Kraven The Hunter. Sam's mother, Emily Mortimer, is also a prominent figure in the industry and played a crucial role in her son's early career. She stepped into Sally Hawkins' shoes for Paddington in Peru and has starred in films like Mary Poppins Returns and Shutter Island.
His professional debut was in Doll and Em, a TV series created and starred in by his mother. He also shared screen time with his real-life sister in the miniseries The Pursuit of Love, adapted from the novel of the same name, with their mother Emily serving as writer and director. Sam acted alongside his sister once more after being cast by Noah Bambaugh in his 2022 film White Noise. The following year, he portrayed Bradley Cooper's son in Maestro.
His roles have only grown in prominence since then, with 2024 seeing him land a part in the star-studded Netflix series The Perfect Couple, which also features Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber. Sam Nivola has landed what he calls his 'biggest role yet' in the hit series White Lotus, and he's not shy about singing the praises of creator Mike White, whom he hailed as a genius. He shared his intense experience filming: "We shot it in Thailand for seven months, and I was there with no connection to the outside world, which was really scary - but creatively, it was very fulfilling to be able to have a role that's big enough to really sink your teeth into.".
He's currently dating fellow actor Iris Apatow, daughter of comedy king Judd Apatow and actress Leslie Mann. The couple, both labelled as 'nepo babies', have reportedly been together for a few years. It was only last year that fans caught on to their romance when Nivola posted pictures of Iris, known for her role in the Netflix series Unstable, on his Instagram. Since then, they've been seen together at various high-profile events, including Iris supporting Sam at The White Lotus season three premiere.
Sam even shared that Iris visited him during his Thailand shoot, expressing his gratitude by saying: "It was so nice of her to sacrifice that time to come be with me and I'm incredibly grateful to her.". In a lighter moment during an interview with British Vogue earlier this year, Sam joked about their status as nepotism beneficiaries, describing his social circle humorously as a "secret cabal of nepo kids who hang out in black robes".
