Action Star’s Son Loses Superman Role: “Not for You,” They Said!

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son, Patrick, was a contender for the role of the iconic Superman in James Gunn’s much-anticipated reboot. During an episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast (via Variety), host Josh Horowitz asked Patrick if he had auditioned for many superhero roles during his career. Patrick revealed that he had auditioned for only three: Homelander from The Boys, Golden Boy from Gen V—which he secured—and the forthcoming Superman.

Schwarzenegger shared that he didn’t receive any feedback after submitting his audition tape, stating, “I don’t think I got any feedback. It was more like, ‘No, not for you.’“

Ultimately, David Corenswet was cast as the lead in Superman, set to release on July 9. Patrick Schwarzenegger, meanwhile, is appearing in season 3 of The White Lotus, which premiered on February 16. In this drama directed by Mike White for HBO, he plays Saxon Ratliff, the arrogant son of a wealthy Southern family.

Schwarzenegger mentioned that he had only two in-person auditions since the pandemic: The Idea of Being With You, a romantic film with Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine that he missed out on, and American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, where he portrayed NFL future quarterback Tim Tebow.

Regarding his auditions via Zoom, the actor commented, “There’s just one person on screen, and when they talk, they’re on, then you talk, and it switches to you. It’s really odd to do a scene with someone because sometimes, in the middle of a conversation, you say something, and the focus shifts back to you, and it’s really distracting and strange.“

Find Patrick Schwarzenegger in the early episodes of season 3 of The White Lotus on Max.

Listen to him discuss his Superman audition in the video below: