John Malkovich denies saying he is "thrilled to return to Israel"

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John Malkovich denies saying he is "thrilled to return to Israel"

Writer: Heidi Hsia

John Malkovich pulls out of performing in Israel

9 Sep - John Malkovich has recently announced his withdrawal from a planned performance of his stage production of "The Music Critic" in Israel that was scheduled to take place next year, following quotes that were falsely attributed to him.

The whole issue sparked after the actor, who was scheduled to perform in Tel Aviv on 13 April 2027, found that a press release sent out on 5 September that quoted him for supposedly saying that he was "thrilled to return to Israel" and "looked forward to meeting the warm Israeli audience once again, to whom I feel a strong closeness and solidarity."

Malkovich stated that he was only made aware of the announcement when reading the article in The Hollywood Reporter.

In a statement on 8 September, the actor stated, "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."

"I did not utter these phrases, and they most certainly are not approved by me, nor do they reflect my feelings. The fact that they were printed as direct quotes from me is unacceptable and untenable. For this reason, I have decided I cannot participate in the Tel Aviv performance," he added.

Malkovich also stressed that his appearance in any country, even his own, does not constitute approval of the country's policies, nor actions, nor its elected or unelected leaders.

"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," he stressed.