Actor Sam Nivola has shared his thoughts on whether his The White Lotus character Lochlan Ratliff is potentially queer.
In The White Lotus season three episode six, fans watched on with horror as flashbacks showed Lochlan and his brother Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) engaging in a little brotherly love.
While episode five had the pair going in for a drunken dare kiss, episode six included scenes of Lochlan having sex with fellow hotel resident Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), while masturbating his brother.
As the siblings slowly and hazily recalled the events of the night before, they reacted with equal shock and disgust as those at home having to watch it.
— out of context the white lotus (@oocwhitelotus) March 24, 2025
Yet, while Schwarzenegger’s Saxon is perceived as a bit of a ladies man, Nivola’s Lochlan appears a little more uneasy in his sexuality.
In episode one, The White Lotus fans picked up on the character potentially being a little sexually confused, as he appeared to gaze longingly at his brother’s naked body.
Speaking to Variety following episode six airing, Sam Nivola shared his own thoughts on whether Lochlan is questioning his sexuality or gender identity.
“I think the way [show creator] Mike [White] looks at the world is not through a gendered lens. He can correct me if I’m wrong, but he writes both men and women, both gay and straight, so accurately and honestly,” he said.
“The point he is always making is that people are all the same — lovable, yet rotten at their core. I think the brother-sister thing is more about their ways of life than about gender and sexuality.”
He continued: “Lochlan has such a one-track mind. He wants love and attention — it could be from a guy, it could be from a girl. I don’t think he knows what he’s attracted to yet. If he finds out he’s attracted to men after this season, then it will probably become a problem, given his family being rich, conservative Southerners.
“But at this time, that’s not what’s going through his head.”
Nivola went on to share that as a “very anxious person” he was “totally nervous” to film the intimate scene with Schwarzenegger, but praised The White Lotus creator White for being a “calming” presence.
Despite the odd way Lochlan engages with – or, should we say handles – Saxon, Nivola urged that he doesn’t believe the character is attracted to his brother.
“I think it comes from a sense of insecurity. He really looks up to both of his siblings, not from the point of view of a physical attraction. It’s more curiosity, and trying to figure out which kind of person he is going to become,” he explained.
“He tries to connect with him in whatever way he can. I think Lochlan is a people pleaser, who will try to get people to like him by any means necessary. Looking at Saxon while he’s jerking off is not a sexual thing — it’s more that he’s studying him: “Who is this guy? How can I get him to like me? How can I become more like him?”
The White Lotus season three continues on HBO on Sundays in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW on Mondays in the UK.
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