Ukraine has condemned the casting of one of the characters in the third season of the HBO thriller The White Lotus.
The upcoming thriller, set in Thailand, stars Aimee Lou Wood from Sex Education, Jason Isaacs from Peter Pan, Michelle Monaghan, and Serbian actor Miloš Biković.
Biković’s prominent part in The White Lotus has caused extensive opposition against X, notably from Ukraine’s foreign ministry, due to his support for the Russian invasion.
The administration announced that Miloš Biković, a Serbian actor who has supported Russia since the invasion began, will appear in HBO’s The White Lotus Season 3.
‘@HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?’
On the same day Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2021, Biković revealed on Instagram that he had gained Russian citizenship by presidential order, calling it a ‘blessing’.
He wrote: ‘I have been involved in Russian cultural life for more than seven years. For me this is a blessing and source of happiness.
‘All this time I feel like an active member of Russian society, now it is officially confirmed. It is a great honor that today I can say: Russia is my Motherland!’
Biković expressed support for Russia by retweeting a survey indicating that Vladimir Putin was more trusted than other leaders, including US President Joe Biden.
Miloš Biković, 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 3@HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?
📹 @United24media pic.twitter.com/ceWkXVttfp
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) January 24, 2024
In 2018, he accepted Putin’s Pushkin prize for artistic achievement at a Kremlin event.
Biković’s acting career has focused on Russian and Serbian TV episodes and films, notably Sunstroke, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov.
His other Russian credits include The Challenge, Beyond the Edge, and Dukhless 2.
Season 3 of The White Lotus stars Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Patrick, Walton Goggins from The Shield, Carrie Coon from The Gilded Age, and Parker Posey from Party Girl.
Jennifer Coolidge, who appeared in both the first and second series but died tragically in the second installment’s finale, will not return.
Her role as wealthy Tanya McQuoid spurred a career rebirth for the American Pie actress, who received an Emmy earlier this month.
The first season of The White Lotus, set in a hotel in Hawaii and starring Connie Britton, Sydney Sweeney, Murray Bartlett, and Coolidge, was a tremendous hit despite filming during Covid.
The second season took place in Sicily and stars Theo James, Aubrey Plaza, Will Sharpe, Tom Hollander, and Meghann Fahy.
The White Lotus season 3 is expected to air on HBO in 2025.