Why Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Son Patrick Doesn’t Share Dad’s Career Goals

Ahead of his turn as Tim Tebow in American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez , Patrick Schwarzenegger spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about how his career aspirations differ from those of his famous father, Arnold Schwarzenegger .

Patrick’s role in Ryan Murphy’s limited series is a fairly small one, existing mostly on the periphery of his teammate’s infamous rise to fame and subsequent fall on murder charges. But the minimal screen time didn’t bother the younger Schwarzenegger, who approaches roles differently than his dad.

“It’s funny, because I have a different theory than someone like my dad,” Patrick said, without naming Arnold . “My dad is always like, ‘Go for the main title, go for the lead, go for all these different things, think big, big, big.’ I always try to think about ‘what are my goals’ when it comes to becoming an actor,” he explained. “For me, it’s continuously learning and growing as an actor. It’s to surround myself with really great talent and great filmmakers and producers and team. Then it’s also to play something totally different than what I’ve done before.”

Patrick bristled at the implication that he was offered the role outright, telling the outlet that he’s not at that stage of his career yet. “I wish they just came to me and said, ‘You want to play Tim Tebow?’ I’m not on that level yet,” he admitted. “It came to me just in my inbox as a good ol’ audition.”

Although Patrick knew from the beginning that “this show is not about Tim, and he’s only a very small part of the story,” the actor knew the part would provide an opportunity to broaden his professional skill set. “For me, this hit all those different requirements. I got to work with someone like Josh [Rivera, who plays Hernandez], who’s a very great up-and-coming actor who I think has a beautiful [career] horizon ahead,” Patrick explained, adding that he was “a big fan of Tim Tebow.”

Patrick concluded: “I’m continuously making strides in my own career. I just love to be part of really great quality projects that are interesting to me, and I get to try something new [that is] a challenge for me on the acting side.”

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez releases new episodes every Tuesday at 10 p.m. on FX and Hulu.