HBO has parted ways with Serbian actor Milos Pekovic, who has been chosen for the third season of the series White lotus He has drawn criticism from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry over his ties to Russia, according to an HBO spokesperson.
Pekovic's role in the black comedy will be recast, the spokesperson said.
Serbian actor Milos Pekovic has left the set of the third season of White Lotus.credit: GT
In a statement provided by a spokesperson on Friday, Pekovic said he was leaving due to external pressure.
“Today, a targeted campaign has been unleashed against me, apparently as an external maneuver to influence decisions that could create a disturbing precedent that overshadows the essence of artistic freedom,” Pekovic said in the statement. “The result of such a narrative is the triumph of absurdity and the defeat of art.”
HBO announced on January 12 that Pekovic, 36, would join the series White lotus He slanders. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry criticized the decision on social media weeks later, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, “HBO, is it appropriate for you to work with someone who supports genocide and violates international law?”
On Instagram in 2022, in a post shared the day after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, Pekovic said he wished the war had never happened. “War and bloodshed on any side remind us how far humanity is from universal unity and love,” he wrote in Russian and Serbian. “May God protect the lives of all those who are now in danger!”
Bekovich was celebrated by the Russian leadership. He was awarded the Pushkin Medal, which honors contributions to Russian arts and culture, by President Vladimir Putin in 2018. The following year, Ukraine banned Bekovic from entering the country on what it called national security reasons, leading him to tell a Serbian publication that “the situation is ridiculous.” He obtained Russian citizenship by presidential decree in 2021.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
