John Malkovich cancels 2027 Tel Aviv show, citing false quote attributed to him

American actor John Malkovich has canceled a performance next year in Israel over a statement falsely attributed to him expressing delight over coming to the country, The Hollywood Reporter said on Tuesday

Malkovich was set to perform the satirical show “The Music Critic” on April 13 at the Charles Bronfman auditorium in Tel Aviv. In it, Malkovich plays a music critic who pans iconic classical musical composers as some of their works are performed.

A press release about the performance, which was first published by The Jerusalem Post on Saturday, quoted the actor as being “thrilled to return to Israel.”

“A PR company hired by the Israeli promoter drafted a quote for the article that was attributed to me, though I never made the statements that were quoted, nor was I consulted before they were printed,” Malkovich said in his own statement.

“I did not utter these phrases, and they most certainly are not approved by me, nor do they reflect my feelings,” he continued, calling the developments “unacceptable and untenable.”

“For this reason, I have decided I cannot participate in the Tel Aviv performance,” Malkovich said.

“Throughout my long career, I’ve been lucky to perform across a quite wide swath of the world— in countries with governments whose values or culture I do not share and in front of audiences of many differing faiths and ideologies,” he said. “Traveling to places whose view of the world may not align with mine has given me a chance to observe and to listen and learn and to share my idea of what makes good storytelling and what makes beautiful music and how they can complement each other and illuminate the human condition.

“My appearance in any country, even my own, does not constitute approval of said country’s policies, nor actions, nor its elected or unelected leaders,” he added. “My appearances would also not condone nor mean that I am in supposed ‘solidarity’ with any particular political cause, nor with the killing of innocents, nor with any acts of terrorism, nor any other kind of barbarity.

“Generally speaking, I believe that we need more culture and more beauty in more places, not less. Art, at its best, reminds us that the exercise of our shared humanity can and should be a tool to bridge our conflicts and our griefs, our grievances and our sorrows, and that the exercise of artistic freedom is often the greatest form of protest against savagery,” Malkovich said. “I look forward to continuing to exercise my artistic freedom, come what may. However, only playwrights, novelists and screenwriters can put words in my mouth, and even then, only in the service of storytelling, and no one else should think they can do that without my consent and without the resultant consequences.”

On Saturday, the Jerusalem Post quoted Malkovich as saying in a statement: “I am thrilled to return to Israel and look forward to meeting the warm Israeli audience once again, to whom I feel a strong closeness and solidarity. I hope to find you happy and optimistic! Sending you much love.”

The UK’s Jewish Chronicle newspaper also carried the remarks.

The show’s Israeli producer, Alon Yurick, said at the time, “It is deeply moving to see Malkovich’s heartwarming responsiveness to performing here. I view this as a trust-building step toward reviving major international performances in Israel.”

The public relations company that had been hired by Yurick apologized for the incident, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Mr. Malkovich did not make, provide, authorize or approve this statement, nor was it approved by his representatives,” said the firm, which was not named in the report. “We sincerely apologize to Mr. Malkovich and his representatives for the incorrect attribution and regret that this occurred.”

Malkovich visited Israel in 2008 as a guest of honor at the Jerusalem Film Festival. He also came in 2013 to perform “The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer” in Eilat.