HBO parted ways with Serbian actor Miloš Biković, dropping him from its hit TV show “The White Lotus,” one week after Ukraine’s foreign ministry criticized the cable giant for casting what it called a mouthpiece of Russian President Vladimir Putin and supporter of genocide.
HBO will recast the role, a spokesperson said Friday in a statement.
In a statement of his own, Biković said he was the victim of a “targeted campaign.”
The hubbub began last week when Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called out HBO for its casting of Biković in Season 3 of “Lotus.” The MFA took exception with HBO’s choice of Biković, who received a Pushkin medal from Putin in 2018, in a social media post and accompanying 79-second video.
“@HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?” it said in the post.
In the video, the MFA highlighted Biković’s Russia citizenship, his support of Russia’s occupation of Crimea, and his work with Russian propagandist filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov. Biković was granted Russian citizenship in 2021, saying he felt an affinity with the culture of the country.
The Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended Biković against Ukraine’s allegations, calling his support of genocide “unfounded.”
In the end, Biković is off the show and implied that he had to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in order to keep his role, according to Deadline.
“Today, a targeted campaign has been unleashed against me, seemingly as an external maneuver to influence decisions that can create a disturbing precedent shadowing the essence of artistic freedom. The result of such a narrative is the triumph of absurdity and the defeat of art,” Biković wrote.
“I was honored to be chosen to be a part of White Lotus, a TV series that I hold in high regard and with colleagues whom I deeply respect. However, my participation is not possible due to reasons beyond the realm of art and I will not bow to any narrative that seeks to compromise my integrity,” he wrote.
Biković was announced as part of the Season 3 cast last month. Deadline reported Biković was cast to play “a flirtatious yogi and the hotel’s Life Enhancement Mentor.”
Filming is set to begin in Thailand.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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