Arnold Schwarzenegger has handed over the Hollywood spotlight to his lookalike sons, as they joined him on the red carpet at the 2025 Sun Valley Film Festival in Idaho over the weekend.
Patrick and Christopher Schwarzenegger were photographed posing alongside their famous father at the events. Patrick looked suave in a gray tweed suit that was layered over a black roll-neck sweater. Meanwhile, Christopher opted for a more casual ensemble that consisted of brown cord trousers, a black shirt, and a matching jacket. Arnold smiled between his sons, dressed in blue jeans and a black zip-up sweater. The trio looked strikingly similar as they all sported matching beards with swept back hair.
Arnold and Christopher attended the event to support Patrick, who was honoured with the Rising Star Award at the film festival. "The Rising Star Award recognizes a promising talent whose work on screen is quickly gaining industry attention," reads the official website.
© Radarpics for SVFF/ShutterstockThe evening turned out to be a double celebration, with the 78-year-old actor also being recognized with the Vision Award Honoree alongside filmmaker Gus Van Sant. The Sun Valley Film Festival is a nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing and promoting the art of filmmaking.
© Radarpics for SVFF/ShutterstockArnold and Patrick's relationship
Despite Patrick’s success in Hollywood, Arnold had initially hoped his son would pursue a different career path. During an interview with Variety back in June, the duo shared an insight into their different paths in the industry and how Patrick has navigated the challenges of nepotism.
"Your approach to acting is obviously different than mine was," said Arnold. "You started studying it, which was a real surprise to me. When you were 12 years old, I was always saying to your mother, 'This kid is going to be a business genius.' And then he went to business school, and he loved business."
© Getty ImagesArnold went on to explain that he initially "hoped" his son would pursue a career in business alongside performing. "I was always hoping, 'Maybe he also likes – like I did – to do both. And he’ll be a businessman and also an actor,'" he said.
Despite their similarities, The White Lotus star admitted that he hasn't always taken his father's wise words on board. "You always said that you’ve made way more money from business than from acting," replied Patrick. "The past 10 years, I’ve slowly worked on my career. I’ve done smaller roles, and it’s gotten bigger. You always say, 'Go for No. 1.' And I’ve gone the opposite way."
Patrick went on to admit that he considered changing his name to stop people comparing him to his father. "There were times earlier in my career where I was wondering, does it make sense to go under an alias?" he shared. "It took a while for me to get to a point where I was less worried about living in your shadow versus wanting to do it the way I thought I should do it."
