Patrick Schwarzenegger has his first leading role in romantic movie "Midnight Sun", now playing in theaters. The film stars Schwarzenegger as Charlie, athlete, who falls in love with Bella Thorne's character Katie, his neighbor who’s forced to stay in the house during the day due to a disease causing her to be allergic to sunlight.
Schwarzenegger answered questions about the film at a college roundtable interview earlier this month at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus. He talks of his experience working on the film, reactions he hopes the audiences gets, along with lessons he’s learned from his father.
How did you prepare for your role as Charlie?
I used to do more weightlifting and training similar to this [the Arnold] but for Charlie he is a swimmer so I completely changed to swimming a few hours a day everyday. I had someone from the USC swim team train me. Also, studying the lines and trying to get into character as much as possible, but it was ultimately working with Bella.
What was it like working with your costar Bella Thorne?
She’s awesome. It was kind of like tennis you know when you play with someone that's worse than you you kind of play bad [chuckles] and then when someone’s really good you play better. This was my first big leading role working with someone that’s already been in the industry and has such great talent, it really helped me. She was super fun and such a great girl to work with. Off set we had so much fun together getting to hang out and bond. It helped our chemistry on screen as well.
Your character is kind of the cool jock so how do you think the audience will be able to relate to him?
On the surface he seems to have everything going for him. He’s the high school stud, everyone likes him, he’s the best swimmer and has these aspirations of getting a full scholarship to Berkeley. But, what we realize early on is that he’s a little bit internally lost. He gets a shoulder injury loses his scholarship, and has to stay home for the summer. So he’s definitely kind of broken and vulnerable and it is through Katie that he’s pulled back into his normal life and regains confidence. I think that’s the beauty about their relationship, what he does for her and what she does for him.
What were some of the challenging aspects while working on the movie?
When you’re the lead you have a lot of weight on your shoulders. Everyone is staring at you while you’re working and it’s like "shit like if I mess up like I’m kind of pulling them down". But as time goes on you realize that everyone is kind of a family and wants the same thing which is a great film. So you have to let your nerves down and just go on and do the work. And obviously there’s some challenging emotional parts throughout the film so just kind of getting into character with those, allowing the emotions to flow out.
How has Charlie rubbed off on you personally?
He’s taught me that I probably have to be a better boyfriend [laughs]. He takes her on some pretty good dates. She’s had this life that’s pretty secluded. I mean she’s been in isolation because of her disease so he gets to take her out on her first pretty much everything. First time to the train, a concert, to the beach, to Seattle and all these different beautiful dates. But something else that’s amazing about him is that he falls in love with Katie for how he sees her. Throughout the movie their love and the bonding only continues to get strengthened and it [the disease] is not something that’s a deciphering factor of if they're going to be together.
How was working on Midnight Sun different than all the other acting jobs you’ve done?
Last summer I filmed ‘The Long Road Home’ and I portrayed a U.S soldier that went to Iraq and got ambushed, so that was completely polar opposite to "Midnight Sun".
And then I’ve done some other roles. This movie called "Stuck In Love" and "Grown Ups 2". I’m trying to be versatile and able to do different genres and different types of films.
What makes Midnight Sun different from other teen dramas?
It’s this heartfelt epic beautiful coming-of-age love story and it’s not your ordinary one because of Bella’s character character's diseases, XP. That differentiates it along with how the relationship starts, flourishes and what will happen when they encounter the issue.
You’re a business, actor, model and philanthropist. How have these things influenced you?
My dad taught me that acting can be up and down. One of the first ways I learned about business was actually here in Columbus, Ohio at the Arnold Classic. When I started to tell my dad how much I loved it [business], he put me in charge of his Arnold Schwarzenegger memorabilia booth. It helped me understand margins and how to bring in the revenue and profits. But it all started here, in Columbus.
How did you get into acting and model?
I’ve always loved clothing and fashion, it’s another artform in itself and it’s something that just happened over time when people asked if I could do some different projects. I always wanted to do acting. It started when I would go to set with my dad when I was three or four years old. In kindergarten he’d take me out early to go to his set and I’d love going. There was great food, the filming was really cool to watch and how this idea went from paper to reality. I just totally fell in love with how movies were made.
Are there anything other things you’re working on projects that you want to venture off to?
I want to continue doing film, find ways to write and create my own content and package. Also continue to do my businesses and find ways to give back, be a part of different charities and philanthropic work. That’s a big portion of my dad’s life now. He is a product of the American dream and finding ways to help other people have access to that and making their life the most satisfying as well.
Do you have any advice for teenagers?
My dad always told me if you could close your eyes and have the best dream possible, what would it be and where does that put you? Whether that’s working for a local news station, being a journalist for New York Times, going off to college and starting a family, write that down and whatever your end goal is work everyday on trying to make that a reality. For myself, I keep them right next to my bedside. It’s a great way to start as a teenager and to utilize everyday to get to where you want to go. I didn't start doing that until I was twenty-one, but I wish I started earlier. It has made everything way clearer for myself of where I wanna go and using each year to develop further along that path. I know being a teenager it's that weird time when you’re not even sure what you’re gonna do tomorrow, but if you have an idea it’s something that’s very helpful and I learned that from my dad.
What are you hoping the audience feels from watching the movie?
Well I hope that they enjoy the movie, have a fun time, laugh, maybe cry. Walk away feeling just uplifted and find ways to treat their significant other better and to have a great relationship and enjoy life.