You’ve probably seen his face. Maybe it was in that chaotic, dread-filled grocery store scene in White Noise, or perhaps you just finished bingeing the third season of The White Lotus and are still trying to process whatever happened to the Ratliff family in Thailand. Sam Nivola has this way of appearing in things that everyone is talking about, yet he manages to feel like a discovery every single time. It's weird. He’s the son of Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer—which, yeah, basically makes him acting royalty—but he doesn't carry that "nepo baby" energy that usually grates on people. He just feels like a kid who actually knows what he’s doing.
Acting is a family business for him, sure. But honestly, looking at the list of sam nivola movies and tv shows, it’s clear he’s not just riding coattails. He’s picking weird, smart, high-stress roles. He plays the "observant son" better than almost anyone in Hollywood right now. If you want to understand why he’s suddenly the industry’s favorite "quietly intense" young actor, we have to look at the specific path he’s taken from a kid on a smartphone to a lead in HBO’s biggest prestige dramas.
The Roles That Put Sam Nivola on the Map
Most people first really noticed him in 2022. He played Heinrich in Noah Baumbach’s White Noise. He was this hyper-analytical, slightly doom-obsessed kid who seemed more prepared for a toxic airborne event than his own parents, played by Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig. It was a dense, talky movie, and Nivola held his own in these massive, overlapping dialogue scenes. Interestingly, his real-life sister, May Nivola, played his sister in the movie too. Talk about keeping it in the family.
Then came Maestro in 2023. This was the Bradley Cooper passion project about Leonard Bernstein. Sam played Alexander Bernstein, the son. It wasn't the biggest role in the world—some of his scenes even famously got trimmed down—but it placed him right in the middle of the "prestige cinema" conversation. He followed that up with Eileen, a dark, snowy thriller where he played Lee Polk. It’s a smaller part, but it showed he was interested in indie grit, not just big Netflix checks.
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Then 2024 happened. The Perfect Couple on Netflix. This was a massive hit. He played Will Winbury, the youngest brother in a family that is, frankly, a total mess. Surrounded by Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber, he played the "moral compass" of a family that didn't really have one. It was a precursor to what would become his biggest role to date.
The White Lotus and the "Lochlan Ratliff" Era
If The Perfect Couple was a warmup, The White Lotus Season 3 was the main event. Playing Lochlan Ratliff, Sam Nivola became a household name—or at least a "that guy from the show" name. This season was set in Thailand and dealt with a lot of heavy themes: privilege, family decay, and some very uncomfortable sibling dynamics with his on-screen brother Saxon, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger.
What made his performance as Lochlan so good was the vulnerability. He’s great at playing someone who is clearly lonely even when surrounded by people. In interviews, he’s mentioned that Lochlan just wants attention and love, even if he has to do something destructive to get it. That’s a tough needle to thread without making the character annoying, but he pulled it off. He makes privilege look exhausting, which is exactly what Mike White wants for that show.
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What’s Coming Next: Driver’s Ed and Beyond
He isn't slowing down. In 2025, he wrapped a comedy called Driver’s Ed, directed by Bobby Farrelly. This is a bit of a pivot. After a string of heavy dramas and murder mysteries, seeing him in a Farrelly brothers comedy is going to be a change of pace. He plays Jeremy, and it’s expected to be a much lighter, more traditional "young lead" role.
There’s also talk of a series called Phony over at Hulu, where he’s set to star alongside Connie Britton. Plus, there are whispers about him working with his dad, Alessandro, on a project called Satan Is Real, though they’ve joked that they’re avoiding any "incestuous" storylines after the wild plot twists in The White Lotus.
Why His Career Trajectory Matters
There is a specific niche for actors who can play "intellectual but troubled." Sam Nivola fits right in there. He’s not playing the high school quarterback; he’s playing the kid in the back of the class who’s probably reading Camus while everyone else is on TikTok.
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He’s also diversifying. He doesn't just act; he’s written and directed a short film called Neighborhood Watch for the anthology With/In. He’s building a career that looks more like a filmmaker's journey than a celebrity's journey.
If you're looking to catch up on his work, here is the basic roadmap:
- Start with White Noise: It’s where you see his rhythm and how he handles complex dialogue.
- Binge The Perfect Couple: If you want to see him play a more "standard" wealthy teen with a dark secret.
- End with The White Lotus Season 3: This is his best work. It’s nuanced, uncomfortable, and shows exactly why he’s being cast in everything.
He’s 22 years old. He’s living in the East Village. He’s dating Iris Apatow. He is, by all accounts, the "it" guy of the mid-2020s. But unlike a lot of "it" guys, his filmography actually backs up the hype. Keep an eye on Driver's Ed when it hits theaters; it’ll be the real test of whether he can carry a movie without the safety net of a massive ensemble cast.
To truly appreciate his range, watch White Noise and The White Lotus back-to-back. You’ll notice how he uses his eyes to convey way more than the script actually says. That's a skill you can't teach, even if your parents are famous actors. He’s got the "it" factor, but he’s also got the work ethic to make it last. Keep your eyes peeled for the Phony release date on Hulu—that's likely his next big television play.