HBO hit TV series the White Lotus drops actor Miloš Biković over Russia ties
The makers of hit TV show the White Lotus have dropped actor Miloš Biković from the upcoming series after criticism from Ukraine over the Serbian native’s ties to Russia.
Biković, who was cast for the third season of the award-winning dark comedy just weeks ago, has protested against HBO’s decision as “the triumph of absurdity and the defeat of art”.
A spokesperson for the network, asked by AFP for comment, said on Saturday only that “we have decided to part ways with Milos Biković and the role will be recast”.
When HBO originally announced the casting of Biković on 12 January, the Ukrainian foreign ministry made its displeasure clear.
Posting on social media platform X, it said the actor had “been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion” of Ukraine.
It added: “HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”
Biković said Saturday on X that he does not support any wars, pointing to his experience growing up during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.
“I grew up in a war-torn country. At the age of 11, I endured days and nights in shelters while my homeland and my hometown were bombed. I could never wish such a devastation on anyone,” he said.
Biković said he wished for all active conflicts everywhere “to stop and for the principles of love to prevail”.
In 2018, Russian president Vladimir Putin conferred on Biković the Pushkin medal for contributions to Russian culture, and he was subsequently given Russian citizenship. “It is a great honor to say today: Russia is my homeland,” the actor wrote at the time.
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In 2019, he said he had been banned from Ukraine “for national security reasons”.
Biković has starred in a number of Russian productions and has spoken out regularly about his admiration of the country’s culture.
Filming of the third season of Emmy-winner The White Lotus will begin in Thailand this month, with the show set to air in 2025, Variety reported.