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EXCLUSIVE, updated with Biković statement: HBO parted ways with actor Miloš Biković, who will no longer be part of The white lotus‘The upcoming third season will take place in a hotel in Thailand, sources tell Deadline.
The series does not reveal details of the character, but it is believed that Biković was cast in the small recurring role of Russian Valentin, a flirtatious yogi and hotel life improvement mentor. The part will now be recast as production is about to begin in and around Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok.
“I had the honor of being chosen to be part of white lotus, a television series that I hold in high esteem and with colleagues whom I deeply respect,” Biković said in a statement, which you can read in full below. “However, my participation is not possible for reasons outside the realm of art and I will not bow to any narrative that seeks to compromise my integrity.”
The decision comes more than a week after Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry criticized HBO for its casting of Serbian-Russian actor Biković.
Tagging the US network in a video post with public comments from Biković, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry asked: “Is it okay for you to work with a person who supports genocide and violates international law?”
In the fragments of Biković’s interviews, juxtaposed in the video with fragments of white lotusappears to endorse the Russian occupation of Crimea, which became a precursor to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The actor has traveled to the peninsula several times, including for work, prompting Ukraine to put him on a ban list in 2019. That could have put Biković’s name on the Ukrainian government’s radar quickly after his election. The white lotus It was announced on January 12.
In the statement, in which Biković recalled growing up during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, he called the events of the last week “a selective campaign that has been unleashed against me, apparently as an external maneuver to influence decisions that “They can create a disturbing situation.” precedent that overshadows the essence of artistic freedom.”
“The result of such a narrative is the triumph of the absurd and the defeat of art,” he said.
The 36-year-old Serbian national has worked in Russia for more than a decade, becoming one of the country’s most popular actors and working with such prominent directors as Oscar winner Nikita Mikhalkov, who was sanctioned by the EU for his support of Russia 2022. invasion. In 2021, Biković was granted Russian citizenship by a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who also awarded Biković a medal in 2018.
The video of that award ceremony is included in the Ukraine video, in which the Foreign Ministry accused Biković of supporting the war.
On Twitter (now And in an Instagram post at the time, he wished there would be no wars, adding: “God save the lives of all those who are now in danger.”
There is no public record of Biković supporting the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. But he did not convict him in 2022 and has not done so since the publication of last week’s damaging video.
His silence probably contributed to his departure from The white lotus as it put HBO in a difficult position trying to navigate geopolitical and artistic landmines.
Biković, who saw Serbia’s Foreign Ministry leap to his defense last week, found himself in an even more difficult situation. Denouncing Russia’s actions in Ukraine could have protected his chance at a career in Hollywood, at great personal risk.
The actor, who became a father for the first time just a couple of days before his white lotus The casting was announced, thrust into the spotlight amid a major crackdown on dissent over the Ukraine war in Russia, with private citizens who voice their opposition facing long prison terms.
Here is Biković’s full statement:
I grew up in a country devastated by war. At age 11, I endured days and nights in shelters while my homeland and hometown were bombed. And I could never wish such devastation on anyone.
There are more and more active conflicts around the world. Each one is different. Each one is heartbreaking. I wish that all of them would stop and that the principles of love would prevail.
Today a selective campaign has been unleashed against me, apparently as an external maneuver to influence decisions that may create a disturbing precedent that overshadows the essence of artistic freedom. The result of such a narrative is the triumph of the absurd and the defeat of art.
I had the honor of being chosen to be a part of White Lotus, a television series that I hold in high regard and with colleagues whom I deeply respect. However, my participation is not possible for reasons outside the field of art and I will not submit to any narrative that seeks to compromise my integrity.
I would like to thank everyone who was by my side. I wish my colleagues much success in creating the next season.
Regardless of everything, I firmly believe that art can heal. I think it can help humanity unite. My beliefs and dedication to art will remain unchanged.