Pro-Moscow actor dropped from White Lotus TV series
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 will 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, 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?”
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 because of “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”.
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.