Why is White Lotus actor Miloš Biković in trouble with Ukraine? Set to join Season 3 of HBO’s hit show in Thailand, the Serbian star has been accused of ‘supporting’ Russia’s invasion
- Ukraine’s foreign ministry has weighed in on HBO’s decision to cast acclaimed Serbian actor Miloš Biković, claiming that he has backed Russia since its invasion of Ukraine
- Set to film at Four Seasons’ properties in Thailand, the upcoming series’ cast will also include Leslie Bibb, Harry Potter’s Jason Isaacs, Patrick Schwarzenegger and Michelle Monaghan
The White Lotus is renowned for its ability to bring together an incredibly talented cast, as evidenced by its first and second seasons, but one new member that’s been added to the HBO production’s third instalment has been raising some eyebrows.
On January 25, Ukraine’s foreign ministry took to X, formerly Twitter, to express its disappointment at the network’s hiring of Serbian actor Miloš Biković, claiming – without providing proof – that he has backed Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as reported by The New York Times.
“Miloš Biković, the Serbian actor who has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, is now set to star in HBO’s The White Lotus season three,” the post reads. “@HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide and violates international law?”
The post is accompanied by a video in which a narrator describes Biković as the “Kremlin’s foreign mouthpiece” and shows a clip of him shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin after receiving a Medal of Honour in 2018 for his contribution to Russian arts and culture.
While some netizens have called for a boycott of the show, others have expressed confusion about the Ukrainian MFA’s allegations. “A bit weird that you would tell HBO which actors they can use. As for the images you show – those are from before the war started,” wrote one commenter.
