White Lotus Season 3 Role Recast After Actor Exits Amid Ukraine Controversy
The White Lotus is adjusting its reservation list for Season 3: Actor Miloš Biković will no longer appear in the upcoming season of HBO’s luxury resort anthology, TVLine has confirmed, following protests about his casting from Ukrainian officials. (Our sister site Deadline first reported the news.)
“We have decided to part ways with Miloš Biković, and the role will be recast,” a spokesperson said in a statement. HBO hasn’t released character details for Season 3 yet, but Deadline reports that Biković was to have played the small recurring role of Russian Valentin, a flirtatious yogi and the hotel’s Life Enhancement Mentor — a role that will now be filled by Shadow and Bone’s Julian Kostov (as of Feb. 6).
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HBO came under fire last month after casting Biković, a Serbian-Russian actor, due to his ties to the Russian government and his perceived support for the invasion of Ukraine via interviews and social media posts. (Biković was granted Russian citizenship by a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2021.) After he was cast, Ukraine’s ministry of foreign affairs directly asked HBO on social media: “Is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?”
Biković released a statement of his own after his departure, which reads in part: “I was honored to be chosen to be a part of [The] 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.”
Despite Biković’s exit, The White Lotus’ Season 3 cast is still brimming with stars, including Walton Goggins, Parker Posey and Carrie Coon. For more details, check out our rundown of everything we know so far about Season 3 of The White Lotus.
White Lotus Season 3: Everything We Know
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