VARIETY Magazine: Sam Nivola on Life After THE WHITE LOTUS, That Infamous Incest Scene, and More

Pin

In a new cover story for VARIETY’s Power of Young Hollywood issue, “The White Lotus” breakout star Sam Nivola speaks with TV Reporter Ethan Shanfeld about life after “The White Lotus” and filming that shocking incest scene with Patrick Schwarzenegger. He also discusses being largely cut out of Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” the state of Hollywood, whether he’s a nepo baby, and more. 

Pin

Pin

Nivola on the incest scene between his character and his brother, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger:

When the drug-fueled intimacy between on-screen brothers lit the internet on fire, Nivola didn’t take kindly to the discourse.

“It was at times painful. It’s hard when people view your character as a monster or pervert or freak…It was hard feeling like people had lost sympathy for this guy that I lived inside. I got a little defensive You have to love your character, otherwise you’re fucked. My character jerked off Patrick. I don’t like that. It’s a bad thing he did. But I try not to pass judgment.”

On the impact “The White Lotus” has had on his career:

“It’s totally changed my life and the scope of my career. When ‘The White Lotus’ was at its peak, I literally couldn’t walk down the street in Brooklyn — my hometown — without being swarmed.”

On potentially being type cast after “The White Lotus”:

After “The White Lotus,” Nivola says he’s been inundated with offers to play similar roles — “socially awkward, virginal kids who are a little weird,” as he defines it.

“I’m starting to feel a little boxed in by the characters I’ve played in my career. But I’m also finally getting offers to do things where I’m a little more grown up. Hopefully the next one will be something a little different.”

On the lack of new movie stars, and his admiration for Timothée Chalamet:

“The old movie stars are getting plastic surgery, and they’re looking younger and they’re staying young. You have these really old people playing young roles. And it’s not giving any space for the young’uns to move in and make a name for themselves. With all due respect to those people, one day they won’t be here any­ more, literally, and they will have to create new stars…I think Timothée Chalamet is one of the best actors alive, and he’s a total star. He’s one of a very few examples I could come up with. But it’s a different kind of movie star; he’s not huge and jacked. He looks a little more like me…I wish!”

On how Hollywood isn’t taking risks:

“It’s rare to have comedies at all. It’s been pretty dry for a little while. Can you think of any good ones that have come out in the last five years? Other than ‘Friendship’?…They’ve ‘Moneyball’-ed the film industry! Everything is about data now — and trying to predict, to the nearest dollar, how much money a movie’s going to make. It screws the idea of risk­taking, and comedy is more about risk­taking than any other genre.”

On being largely cut out of Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” in which he played Leonard Bernstein’s son, Alexander:

“I was slightly annoyed to be chopped out of the movie. But, annoyingly, it was the right decision. I don’t like to be the guy that gets their feelings hurt about being cut out.”

On whether the term “nepo baby” applies to him:

Nivola’s parents, Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola (of “Newsroom” and “Face/Off ” fame, respectively), initially discouraged him from following in their footsteps, fear- ing their son would hurtle himself toward an unstable and often difficult life.

“Other than my genes, I don’t think I can attribute much of my success to my parents. I feel proud that I’ve done it for myself, and sometimes in spite of them.” Of his first movie role, he says, “I didn’t get my dad’s agent to call up so-and-so. I did it by myself. I didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to be able to say that anything I’ve achieved has been because of anyone other than me. And I’m proud of that.”

[

Photo Credit: Richie Shazam for Variety Magazine – Variety/YouTube]

• Editorials
• Magazines
• Richie Shazam
• Sam Nivola