The Staircase is the latest true-crime sensation that has Hulu viewers talking. The show stars Colin Firth as a man who is accused of killing his wife, portrayed by Toni Collete. Throughout the ordeal, the show features the couple’s adult children, one of whom, Todd Peterson, is played by Patrick Schwarzenegger. The name probably rings a bell, as Patrick is the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. In other words, Patrick is the son of the Terminator and hails from one of America’s most famous political families, as Shriver is a part of the Kennedy family.
Patrick portrays Todd Peterson, the youngest son of Firth’s Michael Peterson, on the HBO Max drama. The Staircase premiered on HBO Max on May 5 and also stars Sophie Turner, Dane DeHaan, Odessa Young, and Rosemarie DeWitt. This is far from Patrick’s first acting role. Before appearing in The Staircase, he had roles in Grown Ups 2, Stuck in Love, Midnight Sun, and Moxie, amongst others.
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On the day of the show’s premiere, Patrick took to Instagram to praise his onscreen father, Firth, and the rest of The Staircase‘s cast. He began by writing, “Can’t say enough about this man. Colin Firth is brilliant in this project. More importantly he’s one of the kindest humans I’ve ever met. On & off screen.” Patrick noted that he was “excited” but also “nervous” to be in the company of so many talented actors. However, he added, “Colin spent time with me prior to day 1. Creating a father son bond. Made the shoot so much fun, and created a masterclass for a student like myself.”
Clearly, Patrick has followed in his father’s footsteps when it comes to the acting industry. Back in November 2020, he even said that it was “surreal” to be in the same line of work as his father. He told PEOPLE that Arnold is “so proud of me.” Patrick added, “Both my parents are proud of me.”
“It’s pretty surreal ’cause I remember growing up and going to set with him and it was like my favorite activity,” he continued. “I was so sad when he became governor and to go from Universal Studio’s lot to the Capitol. But it was really surreal to have him come to set have kind of the pages turned. He’s really proud of me and they’re so supportive. I couldn’t ask for a better parent duo.”
