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The Telegraph
The Telegraph
3 Feb 2024
Maighna Nanu


Serbian actor cut from The White Lotus over support for Russia

HBO has dropped a pro-Russia actor from its new series of The White Lotus after Ukraine accused him of supporting “genocide”.

The American broadcaster said that Miloš Biković, a Serbian actor, would no longer be appearing in the drama’s third series, which is due to start filming this month.

An HBO spokesman said: “We have decided to part ways with Miloš Biković and the role will be recast.”

The decision to give the 36-year-old a role provoked fury in Kyiv, which said the actor had supported Russia’s bloody invasion of its country and accepted awards from Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, having acquired Russian citizenship three years ago.

Last month, the Ukrainian foreign ministry asked: “HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide and violates international law?”

‘Targeted campaign’

In a statement posted on Instagram, Mr Biković claimed a “targeted campaign” had been unleashed against him “seemingly as an external manoeuvre to influence decisions that can create a disturbing precedent shadowing the essence of artistic freedom”.

He said: “The result of such a narrative is the triumph of absurdity and the defeat of art.”

Mr Biković said he could not take part in The White Lotus due to “reasons beyond the realm of art”, adding: “I will not bow to any narrative that seeks to compromise my integrity.”

In a video last month, the Ukrainian foreign ministry accused the actor of being “the Kremlin’s foreign mouthpiece”, saying he had attempted to justify the “hostile seizure” of Crimea and eastern Ukraine by Russian forces.

It quoted Mr Biković as saying that “Russia has accepted me since my first time here”.

He reportedly said: “I have inherited Russian values and they resonate with mine.”

The actor shakes hands with Vladimir Putin as he accepts the Pushkin Medal in 2018
The actor shakes hands with Vladimir Putin as he accepts the Pushkin Medal in 2018

The actor has starred in a number of Russian films, with Ukraine accusing him of taking part in productions filmed in Crimea after its annexation by Moscow in 2014.

At a Kremlin ceremony in 2018, Mr Putin awarded him the Pushkin Medal, one of Russia’s top cultural prizes, for his work in promoting the country’s culture.

Elsewhere in his statement, Mr Biković spoke of growing up in a war-torn country. “I could never wish such devastation on anyone,” he said.

He said he wants all the “heartbreaking” active conflicts in the world to stop and “for the principles of love to prevail”.

The third series of the show will be set in Thailand, and is due to air next year.

The first two series of The White Lotus were set in Hawaii and Sicily and revolved around the antics of entitled, wealthy guests and the long-suffering staff who serve them in five-star hotels.