John Malkovich has officially canceled his upcoming performance in Tel Aviv after a public relations firm hired by an Israeli promoter fabricated quotes and attributed them to him. The actor, who was scheduled to bring his show The Music Critic to the region next year, decided to pull the plug on the appearance after discovering that he had been quoted in the media without his knowledge or consent, Deadline reported. The controversy began when a press release surfaced claiming that Malkovich was thrilled to return to Israel and felt a strong closeness and solidarity with the local audience. These statements were published in various outlets, including The Jerusalem Post and The Hollywood Reporter, but the reality was that Malkovich had never uttered those words. He was only made aware of the announcement after reading the subsequent press reports. The actor made it clear that he was neither consulted nor given the chance to approve the quotes, which he described as both unacceptable and untenable. In a statement regarding the cancellation, Malkovich expressed his frustration with the unauthorized attribution “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,” he said. He further clarified his stance by noting that he did not utter these phrases, and they most certainly are not approved by me, nor do they reflect my feelings. Because the quotes were presented as his own, he felt he had no choice but to cancel the performance. John Malkovich has pulled out of a performance of “The Music Critic” set to take place in Tel Aviv, Israel after a press release falsely attributed quotes to the actor.“I was made aware of an article which appeared in The Hollywood Reporter (first published in The Jerusalem… pic.twitter.com/xJLiUz0eLx— Variety (@Variety) September 8, 2026 The Israeli PR firm involved has since issued an apology for their error, admitting that the actor did not provide, authorize, or approve the statement. They stated, “Mr. Malkovich did not make, provide, authorize or approve this statement, nor was it approved by his representatives,” adding that they sincerely apologize to Mr. Malkovich and his representatives for the incorrect attribution and regret that this occurred. Malkovich took the opportunity to address the broader context of his international touring, explaining that he has performed in 47 countries over the last two decades. He noted that his work in any given nation does not mean he supports its government or political actions. He stated, “My appearance in any country, even my own, does not constitute approval of said 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.” The actor emphasized that he generally believes in the importance of spreading culture and beauty to as many places as possible. He views the exercise of artistic freedom as a way to illuminate the human condition and bridge conflicts, rather than as an endorsement of specific political ideologies. He noted that art at its best reminds us that the exercise of our shared humanity can and should be a tool to bridge our conflicts and our griefs, our grievances and our sorrows, and that the exercise of artistic freedom is often the greatest form of protest against savagery. Despite his commitment to performing globally, Malkovich drew a firm line regarding how his public image is managed. He concluded his statement by asserting that only writers should be putting words in his mouth for the sake of storytelling. Malkovich noted that he looks forward to continuing to exercise his artistic freedom, come what may. However, he stressed that only playwrights, novelists and screenwriters can put words in his mouth, and even then, only in the service of storytelling, and no one else should think they can do that without my consent and without the resultant consequences. This development comes at a busy time for the actor, who is fresh off a successful showing at the Venice Film Festival. His latest feature, Wild Horse Nine, was well received, landing a 14-minute ovation and generating significant buzz regarding potential awards.