John Malkovich cancels Tel Aviv show over fabricated quote

John Malkovich has pulled out of a planned April performance in Tel Aviv after an Israeli production circulated a press release quoting him with language he says he never used.

Mr. Malkovich was set to headline a touring satirical showcase pairing classical music with brutal historical criticism of famous composers at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium on April 13, 2027. A Saturday press release, however, attributed to him a statement thanking Israeli audiences for their “closeness and solidarity” — a line the actor says a public relations firm hired by the show’s promoter invented and printed without his knowledge or consent.

In a statement addressing the cancellation, Mr. Malkovich said, “I did not utter these phrases, and they most certainly are not approved by me, nor do they reflect my feelings.” He added that his willingness to perform in a country never signals endorsement of its government or policies.

The Israeli producer behind the show, identified by the Associated Press as Alon Yurik, called the misattribution “human error” and said his team scrambled to correct outlets that had run the quote.

“I regret that the incident developed to the point of the performance being canceled,” he said.

The publicity firm responsible for the release also apologized, stating that Mr. Malkovich “did not make, provide, authorize or approve” the quote attributed to him.

The episode unfolded against a backdrop of deepening cultural isolation for Israel amid the war in Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank, with a number of international performers declining bookings there. Mr. Malkovich, a two-time Academy Award nominee, had visited Israel twice before, most recently in 2013.