Ukraine Slams HBO For Casting Pro-Putin Miloš Biković In ‘White Lotus’

Ukraine is lambasting HBO’s “The White Lotus” for casting Miloš Biković … a Serbian actor who’s voiced help and admiration for Russia amid the continuing struggle, and has accepted a medal from Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine’s international ministry known as out HBO in an X publish Wednesday … asking if it was proper for the outlet to work with an individual who helps genocide and violates worldwide regulation.

A fast rundown on the uproar: Biković’s been accused of supporting Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine … even posting an X ballot displaying that belief in Putin was larger than in Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

He is starred in a string of Russian movies, reminiscent of 2014’s “Sunstroke” … which Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned he’d filmed in Crimea, the peninsula Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

In 2018, Putin awarded Biković a Pushkin medal for advancing Russian tradition. A 12 months later, Ukraine banned him from getting into the nation for nationwide safety causes.

The 36-year-old was unfazed over the ban, making it clear the place his loyalties lie as he gushed over receiving Russian citizenship in 2021 … and added, he’d been actively taking part in Russian cultural life for greater than 7 years.

His casting within the third season of Mike White‘s anthology sequence was introduced earlier this month … and manufacturing is about to start subsequent month in Thailand.

Deadline experiences he’ll probably play a Russian-speaking wellness guru on the lodge — although his character particulars have not been confirmed.

The darkish comedy has been an enormous hit with followers and has dominated award season with its first 2 seasons … so expectations are undoubtedly excessive for the third.