HBO and Mike White‘s The White Lotus have come under fire from Ukraine after it was announced that Serbian actor and Putin supporter Miloš Biković has been cast in the third season.
Biković, who reportedly backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was granted Russian citizenship three years ago, was confirmed for the cast earlier this month.
In 2018, he was personally honored by Russian President Vladimir Putin with a Pushkin medal, one of the country’s top cultural prizes awarded for advancing Russian culture.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) posted on social media on Wednesday, January 24, tagging HBO and writing, “Is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”
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
A similar post on the MoFA Instagram page said the actor “has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion against Ukraine” and “takes part in Russia’s TV shows in temporarily occupied Crimea.”
Biković was previously banned from entering Ukraine due to national security concerns.
After receiving his Russian citizenship in 2021, the actor posted on Instagram, writing, “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!”
He continued, “Since the first day I feel accepted in all spheres of society and now it has been officially signed by the President. This is a great honor for me! I’ll keep working to bring our peoples closer together through culture.”
Biković has starred in several Russian films, including the comedy film Serf and its sequel Serf 2, the space drama The Challenge, the sci-fi heist movie Beyond the Edge, and the drama Sunstroke, which was directed by Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov.
The White Lotus is scheduled to begin filming in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok next month and will follow a new group of guests at another White Lotus luxury resort.
In addition to Biković, the announced Season 3 cast so far includes Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Dom Hetrakul, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell, Tayme Thapthimthong, Christian Friedel, Morgana O’Reilly, Lek Patravadi, and Shalini Peiris.
HBO, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Mike White have yet to comment on Ukraine’s comments.
The White Lotus, Season 3 Premiere, TBA, HBO
This story originally appeared on TV Insider
