Alessandro Nivola Reacts to Son Sam Nivola’s ‘White Lotus’ Plot (Exclusive)
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NEED TO KNOW
- Alessandro Nivola shares his reaction to his son Sam Nivola’s highly discussed White Lotus season 3 role in a joint interview with PEOPLE at the 2025 US Open
- Sam Nivola reveals he spilled the details of the plot to his family as soon as he received the script
- The father and son, who have been attending the Grand Slam for over a decade, talk about their longtime love for the tournament
Alessandro Nivola is thrilled for his son Sam’s breakout in The White Lotus — and yes, he knew about that scandalous plot line well in advance.
In the third season of the HBO series, Sam, 21, portrays Lochlan, a rising college freshman and the youngest of three kids in the vacationing Ratliff family. During a drug-fueled threesome involving his brother Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Chloe (Charlotte Le Bon), the two siblings share an incestuous kiss — and later, it’s revealed they took it a step further.
The Brutalist actor, 53, tells PEOPLE he was privy to the shocking storyline before Sam even flew to Thailand for filming, as his son, whom he shares with his wife Emily Mortimer, spilled details from the script.
When Sam returned after seven months overseas, he immediately debriefed his parents.
“I was pretty damn loose-lipped. I should not have been,” Sam tells PEOPLE in a Sept. 2 joint interview with his dad at the 2025 US Open. “I was not very good at keeping the secrets, but I have trustworthy friends and family, so I wasn’t worried.”
Fabio Lovino/HBO
As for Alessandro’s reaction to Lochlan’s controversial story arc, he jokes he’s “just so excited that [Sam’s] big break was going to involve something that was unwatchable.”
Still, Alessandro takes pride in his son’s rising profile, quipping that Sam is “probably the only person in the world whose success I can really enjoy.”
“That’s sweet, in a sort of f—– up, jaded way,” Sam says.
While the show aired from mid-February to early April, Sam was shooting his upcoming comedy Driver’s Ed opposite Molly Shannon and Kumail Nanjiani in North Carolina.
Although The Perfect Couple actor wishes he could have watched the season alongside his family every Sunday, he admits it was “kind of good” to escape New York City during the show’s run.
“When you’re going to work on this other job and you’re exhausted on a Sunday night, it’s nice to get a call from your parents telling you you did a good job,” Sam says.
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When their schedules do align, the father-son duo bonds over a common love of tennis. Sam played competitively until college, and Alessandro plays recreationally.
For over a decade, the two have attended the US Open in Flushing Meadows, the final Grand Slam of the tennis season.
This year, they even flew from New York City to London for 24 hours to watch the Wimbledon final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
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Still, the Brooklyn-based family holds their home tournament close to their hearts.
“I’ve come almost every year. Last year was one of the first times I didn’t go because I was away for work, but I love it,” Sam says. “There’s nothing better.”
The White Lotus can be streamed on HBO Max.
Credit to Nypost AND Peoples
