Sam Nivola doesn’t like people calling him “nepo baby.”
In a new interview with Variety, the White Lotus actor revealed that he can’t attribute his success to his famous parents, Emily Mortimer and Alessandro Nivola.
“Other than my genes, I don’t think I can attribute much of my success to my parents,” Sam told the outlet.
“I feel proud that I’ve done it for myself, and sometimes in spite of them,” he added.
The British actor, who made his acting debut in the 2022 film White Noise, further told the outlet that “I didn’t get my dad’s agent to call up so-and-so.”
“I did it by myself. I didn’t want to give anyone an excuse to be able to say that anything I’ve achieved has been because of anyone other than me. And I’m proud of that,” continued Sam.
Addressing the criticism of his White Lotus character, the 21-year-old actor said, “It was at times painful. It’s hard when people view your character as a monster or pervert or freak.”
“It was hard feeling like people had lost sympathy for this guy that I lived inside. I got a little defensive,” added Sam. “You have to love your character, otherwise you’re f—–. My character jerked off Patrick. I don’t like that. It’s a bad thing he did. But I try not to pass judgment.”
For those unversed, Sam played Lochlan Ratliff on the third season of The White Lotus. The series was released on HBO on February 16, 2025.
