The war between Russia and Ukraine has affected a lot of individuals living in both these countries but a real surprise came when even the actors were fired for their nationality and political views. Milos Bikovic is a prime example of this as he was fired from HBO’s The White Lotus series recently and according to sources, Julian Kostov has been hired to replace the Serbian actor in the series.
Why was Milos Bikovic fired from The White Lotus?
The White Lotus is a dark comedy-drama series that revolves around a fictional resort chain of the same name as the title of the show and almost all of the guests and employees have some sort of psychological situation that they are dealing with.
Milos Bikovic was cast by HBO and was all set to appear in the 3rd season of the show. However, the Ministry of Ukraine had other plans in the chamber for the actor. The Ministry of Ukraine took some clips and quotes that Milos Bikovic had made about Ukraine and some political topics like the annexation of Crimea and posted them to their X account(formerly Twitter). The Ministry tagged HBO in the tweet and wrote,
“Miloš Biković, Serbian actor who has been supporting Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion, is now set to star in HBO’s The White Lotus Season 3.
HBO, is it all right for you to work with a person who supports genocide & violates international law?“
As a result, Bikovic was fired from The White Lotus and now Julian Kostov will be replacing the actor.
Milos Bikovic opens up about his firing from the 3rd season of The White Lotus
After being fired from the 3rd of The White Lotus, Milos Bikovic took to his Instagram and issued a statement. Bikovic explained that a “targeted campaign” was unleashed against him and despite the consequences, he will stand by his nation and beliefs. He wrote,
“I was honored 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. I would like to thank everyone who stood by me. I wish my colleagues great success in creating the next season.”
As a result of the firing, Julian Kostov was recently hired by HBO to portray the role of a recurring actor which was originally going to be portrayed by Milos Bikovic. Kostov is best known for his portrayal of the recurring character of Fedyor in the Netflix fantasy series, Shadow and Bone.
The White Lotus is currently streaming on HBO Max.
