Although Patrick Schwarzenegger‘s breakout performance might have been shocking to some, the subject matter was hardly new to most gay audiences.
The White Lotus star recently recounted “some really weird experiences” since appearing on Season 3 of Mike White‘s HBO anthology series, including the discovery of a gay porn parody of the show.
“Last week, I was at the gym with two of my friends,” he recalled. “And a guy walked up to me and said, ‘I love your work, and I had to come over to you because my boyfriend just booked playing Saxon Ratliff in The Tight Lotus.’”
Schwarzenegger continued, “I said, ‘What is that?’ And he said, ‘Tight Lotus—it’s a new porno coming out!’ And I said, ‘Excuse me?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah—he’s playing you.’ I was like, ‘Oh my god!’”
Sure enough, gay adult entertainment company Men.com announced The Tight Lotus last month. “Tanya McQuoid would be so proud of how these gays are spending their time at THE TIGHT LOTUS! AVAILABLE NOW!” they shared on Instagram.
The adaptation comes after a buzzy incestuous plot line between Schwarzenegger’s entitled Saxon Ratliff and his curious younger brother Lochlan (Sam Nivola), which culminated in a milestone episode for the series, attracting 4.2M U.S. cross-platform viewers.
Schwarzenegger previously told Deadline the jaw-dropping scene turned out to be “a catalyzing moment of what changes” Saxon.
