HBO has parted methods with Milos Bikovic, a Serbian actor whose casting within the third season of The White Lotus had drawn criticism from Ukraine’s overseas ministry for his ties to Russia, in keeping with a HBO spokesperson.
Bikovic’s function at midnight comedy shall be recast, the spokesperson mentioned.
Serbian actor Milos Bikovic has left the set of White Lotus season 3.Credit score: Getty
In a press release supplied by way of a spokesperson Friday, Bikovic mentioned he was leaving due to exterior strain.
“At this time, a focused marketing campaign has been unleashed towards me, seemingly as an exterior manoeuvre to affect selections that may create a disturbing precedent shadowing the essence of inventive freedom,” Bikovic mentioned within the assertion. “The results of such a story is the triumph of absurdity and the defeat of artwork.”
HBO introduced on January 12 that Bikovic, 36, can be becoming a member of the White Lotus forged. Ukraine’s overseas ministry criticised the choice on social media weeks later, writing on X, previously referred to as Twitter, “HBO, is all of it best for you to work with an individual who helps genocide & violates worldwide regulation?”
On Instagram in 2022, in a publish shared the day after the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, Bikovic mentioned that he wished the warfare had not occurred. “Conflict and bloodshed on any facet reminds us of how far humanity is from international unity and love,” he wrote in Russian and Serbian. “God save the lives of all those that at the moment are in peril!”
Bikovic has been celebrated by Russia’s management. He was awarded the Pushkin Medal, which honours contributions to Russian arts and tradition, by President Vladimir Putin in 2018. The next 12 months Ukraine barred Bikovic from getting into the nation for what it known as nationwide safety causes, prompting him to inform a Serbian publication that “the state of affairs is absurd.” He obtained Russian citizenship by presidential decree in 2021.
Ukraine’s overseas ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.