Over its two seasons, Mike White’s The White Lotus has carved out a spot for itself as the most effective HBO dramas. 2022’s second season was a specific spotlight, and we have been overjoyed to see Jennifer Coolidge selecting up a much-deserved award on the Emmys.
Season 3 is now in manufacturing and appears to have a extra tropical setting, with scenes being shot in Thailand. However the darkish cloud of controversy has simply rolled in throughout these idyllic skies.
Serbian actor Miloš Biković has simply been added to the solid, leading to a wave of condemnation and requires a boycott of the present. So, who’s Biković and why is everybody so offended?
Milos Biković’s profession
Biković was born in Belgrade, Serbia in 1988 and within the mid-2000s started constructing a profession on Serbian tv. An early spotlight was a efficiency as soccer participant Aleksandar “Tirke” Tirnanić in Montevideo, God Bless You. This made him a family identify and allowed him to start constructing a reputation for himself in Russian cinema.
In Russia he’s recognized for the comedies Serf and Serf 2 and the 2023 drama The Problem. The latter has the excellence of being the primary feature-length drama to have scenes shot in house, with the shoot partially happening on board the Worldwide House Station. Biković additionally produced the film and, whereas he by no means went into house, he shot zero-gravity scenes for the film aboard a “vomit comet”. As he defined:
“I used to be on an airplane that reaches the altitude of 9,000 meters after which goes into free fall. It falls for 23 seconds. On this method, for 23 seconds you’re in zero gravity on the airplane. We have been taking pictures in that point interval. 20 occasions a day. We have been taking pictures a simulation of a surgical treatment in zero gravity.”
Regardless of his fame in Russia and Serbia, Biković hasn’t appeared in a film or TV present aimed toward Western audiences. This can (or would) make The White Lotus a breakthrough for his profession. However there are various extraordinarily sad he’s been solid.
The controversy
No outstanding Russian actor can have a profitable profession with out tacit public approval of Vladimir Putin’s management of the nation, although Biković goes past that into full assist. In 2018 Biković was personally honored by Putin himself, who awarded him the Pushkin Medal for his “contribution to Russian arts and tradition”. Extra lately, he was granted full Russian citizenship in 2021. On his Instagram, Biković stated:
“It’s a nice honour to say in the present day: Russia is my homeland.”
As you’d think about, the Ukrainian International Ministry is in no way completely happy that an American firm is working with somebody allied with Putin:
Kyiv has additionally argued that Biković has brazenly backed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in addition to filming exhibits in Crimea, the territory Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.
Professional-Ukraine social media customers have shortly moved in, highlighting Biković’s actions:
And reposting accusing HBO of “genocide promotion”:
HBO is but to answer any of those feedback although, given the continuing and widespread cultural boycott of Russia, casting an unapologetically pro-Putin actor in one in all their largest exhibits appears like, let’s consider, a questionable choice.
As for whether or not they’re going to stay to their weapons or bow to public opinion and recast, we will solely wait and see.