Sam Nivola, a rising star in HBO’s “The White Lotus,” has confessed to breaking a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) by divulging details of his character’s shocking sex scene to close confidants. In a candid interview, Nivola admitted to sharing the sensitive information, despite signing “a lot of NDAs” during production.
“I told my parents, but I haven’t told my sister. She’s bad at keeping secrets,” Nivola revealed to Variety. The 21-year-old, son of actors Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer, also disclosed that he informed his girlfriend, Iris Apatow, about the scene while filming on location in Thailand for Season 3.
The White Lotus Star Sam Nivola’s Shocking NDA Slip-Up: “I’m Really Scared About Getting Sued by HBO”
“She was there while we were shooting it. That’s about it,” he said, before adding with a hint of anxiety, “I’m really scared about getting sued by HBO.”
Nivola plays Lochlan Ratliff, the youngest child of Timothy (Jason Isaacs) and Victoria (Parker Posey) in the series. His character’s storyline takes a dramatic turn in Episodes 5 and 6, featuring an incestuous encounter with his older brother, Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger). The scene involves a drunken party, a dare-induced kiss, and a subsequent, more explicit sexual interaction.
The controversial scene, which Nivola described as “totally nervous” to shoot, presented a unique challenge given his close friendship with Schwarzenegger. “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,” he explained. “It felt sort of f–ked up.”
The explicit nature of the scene, and Nivola’s candid admission of breaking his NDA, have generated significant buzz around “The White Lotus.” The actor’s concern about potential legal repercussions from HBO adds another layer of intrigue to the already dramatic storyline.
“The White Lotus” airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.
