John Malkovich Cancels Tel Aviv Performance Over Misattributed Quotes
The actor withdrew from the planned 2027 show after discovering that a promotional statement had attributed comments to him that he said he never made or approved.
LOS ANGELES, Sept 10: Actor John Malkovich has cancelled his planned performance in Tel Aviv after a promotional agency attributed statements to him that he said were fabricated and had never been approved.
Malkovich was scheduled to appear in The Music Critic, a theatrical production composed by violinist Aleksey Igudesman, at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium in April 2027.
A promotional release had quoted the actor expressing enthusiasm about returning to Israel and describing a sense of closeness and solidarity with the audience. Malkovich later said he had neither made nor authorised those remarks.
The actor said he learned about the statements after they were reported by the media and objected to having words placed in his mouth without his consent.
Following the controversy, the public relations company involved acknowledged the error and apologised for incorrectly attributing the remarks to him.
Malkovich also stressed that appearing in a country does not mean endorsing its government, policies or political positions. He said his international performances have focused on artistic exchange and storytelling.
The actor ultimately decided that he could no longer participate in the scheduled Tel Aviv performance.
Malkovich is currently receiving attention for his performance in Wild Horse Nine, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month and has put him among the names being discussed in the awards season.
The controversy has renewed attention on the importance of obtaining an artist’s approval before publishing statements as direct quotations.
