Why is Miloš Biković leaving ‘The White Lotus’?

Ukraine’s foreign ministry recently criticized HBO over the casting of Milos Bikovic in the third season of “The White Lotus,” alleging, without evidence, that the Serbian actor had been supportive of Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On January 12, HBO announced that the 36-year-old Bikovic would be joining the dark comedy revolving around wealthy tourists at island resorts. Subsequently, on social media, Ukraine’s foreign ministry accused Bikovic, questioning HBO, “Is it acceptable for you to collaborate with someone who supports genocide and violates international law?”

Bikovic, honored with the Pushkin Medal by Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in 2018 and granted Russian citizenship by presidential decree in 2021, addressed the invasion on Instagram in February 2022. In his post, he expressed regret about the war and emphasized the tragedy of conflict, stating in Russian and Serbian, “War and bloodshed on any side reminds us of how far humanity is from global unity and love. God save the lives of all those who are now in danger!”

Both Ukraine’s foreign ministry and Bikovic declined to comment, while an HBO spokesperson directed inquiries to Bikovic’s representatives. President Biden labeled Russia’s invasion as genocide, with The New York Times documenting evidence of Russia’s brutal actions, including intentional killings of noncombatants.

In a 79-second video posted by Ukraine’s foreign ministry on social media, scenes from “The White Lotus” were juxtaposed with clips of Bikovic receiving the award from Putin and alleged previous statements about Russia. The voice-over claimed Bikovic was “the Kremlin’s foreign mouthpiece.”

During his Pushkin Medal acceptance speech, Bikovic stressed unity between Russia and Serbia, stating in Russian, “What a joy for Russians and Serbs in our homeland because we have the same worldview.”

In 2019, Ukraine barred Bikovic from entering the country for alleged national security reasons. At that time, he remarked to a Serbian publication, “From the human and poetic point of view, the situation is absurd and interesting.”