The White Lotus season 3 star replaced last minute after accepting Putin award
He previously expressed support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
An actor in The White Lotus season 3 actor dropped by HBO at the last minute after his casting received widespread backlash.
Russian-Serbian star Miloš Biković was replaced on the social satire drama after he accepted an award from Putin and expressed support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However Biković, 37, only exited the hit show at the end of January just days before it was released, with Bulgarian actor Julian Kostov, 35, instead stepping into his recurring role.
In a statement shared with Deadline, he said: ‘I was honoured to be chosen to be a part of White Lotus, a TV series that I hold in high regard and with colleagues whom I deeply respect.
‘However, my participation is not possible due to reasons beyond the realm of art and I will not bow to any narrative that seeks to compromise my integrity.’
Last year, Ukraine’s foreign ministry hit out at The White Lotus over Biković on X after his political beliefs emerged., writing: ‘@HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?’
Biković accepted an award from Putin Kostov replaced the Serbian-Russian actor at the last minute (Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO)On the same day Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2021, Biković shared on Instagram that he had obtained Russian citizenship by presidential decree, describing it as 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!’
Several months later, Biković continued to show support for Russia by retweeting a poll that showed despot Vladimir Putin was more trusted than other leaders, including former US president Joe Biden.
Ukraine had previously hit out at HBO over their casting of Biković (Picture: Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Previous Page Next PageIn 2018, he also accepted the Pushkin medal, awarded for accomplishment in the arts, from Putin at a ceremony held at the Kremlin.
Biković has starred exclusively in Russian and Serbian TV shows and films, including Sunstroke which was directed by Oscar-winning director Nikita Mikhalkov.
His other Russian credits include The Challenge, Beyond the Edge and Dukhless 2.
Meanwhile, Biković’s White Lotus replacement Kostov is best known for his role as Fedyor Kaminsky, a Russian-inspired character, on Netflix’s fantasy series Shadow & Bone.
The White Lotus season 3 is set in Koh Samui, Thailand (Picture: HBO)He also stars as Russian villain Vladimir Makarov in the 2023 video game Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare III.
The third outing to The White Lotus has been a critical success, with the show coring 93% on Rotten Tomatoes reviews aggregator the Tomatometer.
This time, the elite holidaymakers are vacationing at a resort in Thailand with the likes of Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood and Jason Isaacs among the cast.
The White Lotus is available to stream on Now.
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