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Ukraine\u2019s foreign ministry criticized HBO this week after Milos Bikovic was cast in the third season of \u201cThe White Lotus,\u201d saying without evidence that the Serbian actor had supported Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
HBO announced on Jan. 12 that Bikovic, 36, would be joining the dark comedy about wealthy tourists at island resorts. On Wednesday, the foreign ministry of Ukraine made the accusations against Bikovic on social media<\/a>, writing, \u201cHBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?\u201d<\/p>\n Bikovic was awarded the Pushkin Medal, which honors contributions to Russian arts and culture, by President Vladimir V. Putin in 2018 and received Russian citizenship by presidential decree in 2021.<\/p>\n In February 2022, the day after the invasion began, Bikovic said on Instagram<\/a> that he wished the war had not happened. \u201cWar and bloodshed on any side reminds us of how far humanity is from global unity and love,\u201d he wrote in Russian and Serbian. \u201cGod save the lives of all those who are now in danger!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ukraine\u2019s foreign ministry and Bikovic did not respond to requests for comment. An HBO spokesman said questions should be directed to Bikovic\u2019s representatives.<\/p>\n President Biden has called<\/a> Russia\u2019s invasion genocide, and The New York Times has collected evidence<\/a> of brutalities by Russia, including the willful killing of noncombatants.<\/p>\n A 79-second video that Ukraine\u2019s foreign ministry posted on social media interspersed scenes from \u201cThe White Lotus\u201d with clips of Bikovic accepting the award from Putin and previous comments it said the actor had made about Russia. In a voice-over, it claimed that Bikovic was \u201cthe Kremlin\u2019s foreign mouthpiece.\u201d<\/p>\n During Bikovic\u2019s acceptance speech<\/a> for the Pushkin Medal, he emphasized unity between Russia and Serbia. \u201cWhat a joy for Russians and Serbs in our homeland because we have the same worldview,\u201d he said in Russian.<\/p>\n Ukraine barred Bikovic from entering the country in 2019 for what it called national security reasons. At the time, he told a Serbian publication<\/a> that \u201cfrom the human and poetic point of view the situation is absurd and interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Before he was cast in \u201cThe White Lotus,\u201d Bikovic acted in movies including \u201cSouth Wind,\u201d which follows a gang member in Belgrade; \u201cSunstroke,\u201d about military officers remembering the collapse of the Russian Empire; \u201cIce,\u201d in which he plays a figure skater; and \u201cThe Balkan Line,\u201d about a military operation during the Kosovo war.<\/p>\n Season 3 of \u201cThe White Lotus\u201d is set to begin production in Thailand next month and is scheduled to air in 2025. It will feature Walton Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey and the returning cast member Natasha Rothwell.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n