Stars of ‘The White Lotus’ Discuss the Ratliff Siblings & their Unsettling Dynamics

Season 3 of The White Lotus on HBO introduces us to the Ratliff family, focusing on the three siblings: Saxon, Piper, and Lochlan. Saxon is portrayed as shallow and fixated on sex, Piper is depicted as pure and contemplative, and Lochlan comes across as a naive high school senior. The arrival of these affluent siblings at The White Lotus Thailand resort sets the stage for a strange dynamic of sexual tension among them.

Observers can sense Saxon’s blatant objectification of his siblings based on their physical traits. He even speculates about his sister’s virginity and seems to be intrigued by his brother’s interest in pornography. This peculiar dynamic adds depth to the characters and their interactions.

In a conversation with White Lotus actors Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Sam Nivola, they acknowledged the presence of this unusual and somewhat incestuous energy within the Ratliff family. Schwarzenegger noted that Saxon sees himself as the authoritative figure who must guide his siblings on the right path, indicating a complex power dynamic within the trio.

“His sister? it’s already too late. She’s exploring this Buddhism idea and she’s completely lost. And he’s using that to to showcase to his brother, ‘Don’t be like that. You know, let’s focus on what we need to focus on, which is, you know, women, sex, money and power.’”

Schwarzenegger’s co-stars ironically revealed that Saxon’s “weird” obsession with his siblings’ sex lives is “exactly” why Piper and Lochlan are “the way they are.”

“Piper is like so uncomfortable in her sexuality because it’s been probably just been talked about so much in front of her, scaring her away,” Sarah Catherine Hook said.

“Yeah, it’s weird the amount they talk about it,” Sam Nivola said.

“It kind of does the opposite for certain children. Like if it’s being talked about so casually in that way or so forcefully then maybe the opposite happens to those children,” Hook said. “It’s very aggressive of Saxon to put it on his siblings and like so inappropriate.”

Nivola said that he thought Lochlan’s youth and inexperience meant that his character found Saxon’s obsession with sex “exciting,” especially coming from an older brother he looks up to.

“But I also think it’s not his primary focus,” Nivola said. “He just wants an ocean of love. Like he just wants as much love as he can get from as many people as he can get it from.”

“You know, if going along with these sort of weird sex conversations is going to get him closer to that, he’ll do it, you know?”

As Schwarzenegger delved deeper into how Saxon conflates sex with other markers of wealth, power, and happiness, Jason Isaacs, who plays Ratliff patriarch Timothy, interrupted to ask a question of his own.

“Does [Saxon] think or know that he’s unhappy in the moment?” Isaacs wondered.

“Well,” Schwarzenegger said, “I think that he’s been trained to think that’s what brings happiness.”

“But happiness is down the road; he’s not feeling it right now. He thinks, ‘If I get these things, then I’ll be happy’?” 

“I think he’s on the path. He’s starting to work, he’s starting to make money, he’s getting with the girls. He has power in one way or another because you do,” Schwarzenegger said, referring to Timothy’s largesse.”

“And look, I think that majority of people out there truly do believe that money and power bring happiness,” he said, before referencing the fact that success doesn’t actually bring happiness.

Given the Ratliff children’s shared confusion — and The White Lotus Season 3 premiere reveal that Timothy’s actions have, in fact, lost the Ratliff fortune — will these lost souls also discover that sex doesn’t bring happiness? Or does White Lotus creator/director/writer Mike White have an even darker story in mind for these new Season 3 characters?