Actor John Malkovich has cancelled a planned appearance in Israel after a public relations firm hired to promote the event falsely attributed statements to him expressing solidarity with the Israeli people, words he says he "never uttered."
The 72-year-old actor had been due to return to the country in April for a performance of the theatrical-musical production "The Music Critic" in Tel Aviv. He decided to withdraw after the PR firm released statements that it later admitted he had neither "made, given, approved, nor authorized."
The original press release for the event quoted Malkovich as saying he was excited to return to Israel and looked forward to meeting again "the warm Israeli audience, with whom he feels strong closeness and solidarity." The statements were published by the Jerusalem Post and the Hollywood Reporter before Malkovich learned of their existence, prompting him to cancel the appearance and call the false attribution "unacceptable and intolerable."
Malkovich said he was made aware of an article published by the Hollywood Reporter, originally carried by the Jerusalem Post, announcing his Tel Aviv appearance for "The Music Critic," one of his numerous collaborations with classical music and live theatre, which he has toured for nearly two decades and has, by his latest count, presented in 47 countries. He said the Tel Aviv date was to be one of several stops on a tour of Europe and the Middle East.
He said a PR company hired by the Israeli organiser had drafted a statement for the article and attributed it to him, even though he had never made those statements and had not been asked before they were published. He said he did not speak those words, they had not been approved by him and they did not express his feelings, and that publishing them as his direct statements was unacceptable and intolerable, which was why he decided he could not take part in the Tel Aviv show.
Malkovich on touring divided regions
Malkovich said that over his long career he had been fortunate to perform in much of the world, including in countries whose governments' values or culture he does not share, and before audiences of different religions and ideologies. He said travelling to places whose worldview may differ from his own had given him the chance to observe, listen, learn and share his own understanding of what makes a story good, what makes music beautiful, and how the two can complement each other and illuminate the human condition. He added that appearing in any country, even his own, does not amount to endorsing that country's policies or actions, nor its elected or unelected leaders, and that his appearances also do not mean he supports or stands in any supposed "solidarity" with any particular political cause, nor with the killing of innocents, nor with any act of terrorism or other barbarity.
Malkovich said the only people who can "put words in his mouth" are playwrights, novelists and screenwriters, when their aim is to tell a story. He said he generally believes the world needs more culture and more beauty in more places, not less, and that art at its best reminds people that shared humanity can and should serve as a tool to bridge conflict and grief, resentment and pain, and that exercising artistic freedom is often the strongest form of protest against barbarity. He said he looked forward to continuing to exercise his artistic freedom, whatever happens.
He added that only playwrights, novelists and screenwriters can put words in his mouth, and only in service of storytelling, and that no one else should assume they can do so without his consent and without facing consequences.
Corrections from the Jerusalem Post and Hollywood Reporter
The disputed statement remains in the original Hollywood Reporter article, which attributes it to the Jerusalem Post. An editor's note has since been added at the top of the piece informing readers that Malkovich's appearance was cancelled because of an "unauthorized press release that falsely attributed statements to the actor."
The statement has since been removed from the original Jerusalem Post article, where a correction note was also added, saying a statement attributed to Malkovich had been removed from the piece after it was confirmed to have been falsely attributed to him. The note said Alon Yurik, the Israeli producer of the show, clarified that the original press release contained an incorrect statement due to a misunderstanding and apologised for the error.
The Israeli PR firm behind the press release later admitted that neither Malkovich nor his representatives had approved the statements it contained. The firm said Malkovich did not make, provide, authorize or approve the statement, nor was it approved by his representatives, and said it sincerely apologised to Malkovich and his representatives for the misattribution and regretted that it happened, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
