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John Malkovich has canceled a planned performance in Israel after promoters circulated a quote attributed to the American actor that he said was completely false. The producer of the show acknowledged the mistake, citing “human error.”
Israel has faced growing cultural isolation in recent years over the war in Gaza, settler violence and its military occupation of the West Bank. A number of international artists have refused to perform in Israel, and the Israel Festival, an annual cultural event, went ahead without a single international act this year.
Malkovich was slated to perform “The Music Critic,” a touring comedy featuring classical music and criticism of world-famous composers, in Tel Aviv in April.
A recent press release quoted Malkovich as saying: “I am thrilled to return to Israel and am looking forward to meeting the warm Israeli audience once again, to whom I feel a strong closeness and solidarity.” The quote appeared in some Israeli and U.S. media outlets.
Malkovich told The Hollywood Reporter that he “never made the statements that were quoted, nor was I consulted before they were printed.”
“I did not utter these phrases, and they most certainly are not approved by me, nor do they reflect my feelings,” he said. “For this reason, I have decided I cannot participate in the Tel Aviv performance.”
Representatives for Malkovich did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Alon Yurik, the Israeli producer of the show, said in a statement that the quote was wrongly attributed to Malkovich because of “human error.” He said the production contacted media outlets to remove the quote and correct the reports, and that it had issued an apology.
“I regret that the incident developed to the point of the performance being canceled,” Yurik said.
Malkovich has performed in Israel before. He has said that performing in a country does not mean he agrees with its political leaders or their policies.
Malkovich is a two-time Academy Award nominee whose film credits include “Dangerous Liaisons,” “In the Line of Fire” and “Con Air.”
He played a fictionalized version of himself in “Being John Malkovich” in 1999, in which a struggling puppeteer, played by John Cusack, discovered a portal into the actor’s head.
Malkovich stars alongside Sam Rockwell in this year’s “Wild Horse Nine,” a film centered on the CIA’s role in the 1973 military coup in Chile.
