Actor Patrick Schwarzenegger says his famous surname is a "double-edged sword" because his family members are "inspirational" and there's always a lot of "pressure" on him because his father is Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"Coming from my family is a double-edged sword. It can be incredibly inspirational but it also puts on a lot of pressure. At the beginning of my career, I was desperately trying to prove that I'm not just so-and-so's kid and that I was making my own path," Patrick told Britain's Glamour magazine.

Patrick has learned to ignore the expectations and assumptions placed on him by other people because of his famous family name, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"What I realised was those factors can't be your 'why' for doing what you do. That's not what should be motivating you, because you could become the highest level of whatever it is you want to be, and guess what - those same people are always going to doubt how you got there. You have to have your own reasons to do what you do or you'll be really unfulfilled," he added.

He finds it frustrating that people assume he doesn't have any work ethic because of his background.

"The first thing people say to me when we meet is, 'You're rich, your dad is wealth, you have no work ethic - you don't have to work'. That's hard to hear because it's not true - I have to just live with that assumption. But I've always been a super motivated person. I've always just wanted to do things on my own terms and known I was capable of that," Patrick explained.

He credits his famous parents for making him "driven".

"It probably comes from both my parents and my whole family being so driven. I am extremely fortunate to have my mom and dad as mentors, financially and for my education. I owe them a lot and I really recognise that privilege," Patrick said.