The White Lotus Star Says His Shocking Sex Scene Was “Nerve-Racking”

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for The White Lotus, Season 3 Episode 6, “Denials.”]

The most recent episode of Mike White’s The White Lotus, following in the proud tradition of past seasons, featured a scene in which things got a bit intense for brothers Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola), two tourists at The White Lotus resort who, during a very intoxicated night, engaged in some very unbrotherly activities. In an interview with Variety, The White Lotus cast member Sam Nivola confirmed that “doing the sex scene was nerve-racking.”

The actual wild night in question took place in Episode 5, “Full-Moon Party,” though everyone’s memories of the night are faded the next day, and it’s not until Episode 6 that a flashback reveals how intense the quasi-threesome got between Saxon, Lochlan, and new acquaintance Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon): Not only do the brothers make out, but Lochlan gave Saxon a handjob at one point.

Nivola attributed at least part of the stress of shooting the scene to the fact that the scene took place on a boat, and he gets seasick. Additionally, though, “it was very weird kissing Patrick because he’s a really good friend of mine. And, you know, I’m straight, he’s straight. It’s already weird. It would have been easier if that was the first time we were meeting… But Patrick was already like a brother to me. It felt sort of fucked up.”

Nivola (the son of actors Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer) did speak to the value of having an intimacy coordinator on set, though also credited White, as the director of the episode, with keeping things moving smoothly. “It’s funny the way intimacy coordinators talk. They’re always using anatomically correct vocabulary that feels stale and awkward. I’d be like, ‘I don’t know if I can grasp the shaft,’ and then Mike would be like, ‘Just jerk him off.’ And I’d be like, ‘OK, that I understand.'”

There are still two episodes left in this season of The White Lotus, which means a lot of potential for this situation to blow up further (especially considering that some unclear gun violence is lurking in the future for these characters). For more, check out our full review of the third season, and what LISA of BLACKPINK had to say about making her acting debut on the HBO drama.