Julian Kostov is not here to play it safe. The Bulgarian-born actor, whose roles often flirt with chaos, dives headfirst into HBO’s The White Lotus Season 3, this time as Aleksei, a magnetic Russian expat whose loyalties are murky. It’s a character built on contradictions: calculated yet impulsive, dangerous yet disarmingly charming.
Read Julian’s interview now on DSCENE Magazine
In conversation with DSCENE editor Katarina Doric, Kostov reflects on stepping into the role mid-recasting, adapting to the unpredictability of a shoot that unfolded across humid, surreal corners of Thailand, and why surrendering to the madness became the key to unlocking Aleksei. It’s less about control, he says, and more about letting the environment shape the performance.
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The result is a season packed with tension, twisted power dynamics, and a finale that, according to Kostov, might just send fans into full-blown meltdown. Off-screen, the chaos continued. From improvised scenes that made it into the final cut to late-night bonding sessions and a now-infamous monkey incident, Kostov’s White Lotus experience was anything but ordinary.
Julian Kostov fronts the April 2025 digital cover of DSCENE Magazine, captured by Jemima Marriott and styled by Alexandria Field in head-to-toe BOSS. Set in Southeast Asia, Season 3 of The White Lotus might be the show’s most unhinged yet, and Aleksei its most elusive character.
Photographer Jemima Marriott
Stylist Alexandria Field
Grooming Brooke Simons
Talent Julian Kostov at Public Eye Communications
Photographer’s assistant Lee Furnival
Stylist’s Assistant Max Guibeleguiet
Interview by Katarina Doric
