Actor John Malkovich has canceled a planned Tel Aviv performance next year after discovering that quotes attributed to him in a press release announcing the event had not been authorized.

Malkovich had been scheduled to perform in the satirical theatrical-musical production The Music Critic on April 13, 2027, at the Charles Bronfman Auditorium. The work was written and conceived by Russian-German Jewish violinist and composer Aleksey Igudesman.

A September 5 press release announcing the Tel Aviv appearance included a statement attributed to Malkovich saying 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."

However, Malkovich said he only learned of the planned performance after reading about it in The Hollywood Reporter. He said neither he nor his representatives had approved the announcement or the quotes attributed to him.

“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," Malkovich said. “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 also stressed, “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 Israeli public relations firm working for the production subsequently acknowledged that the quotes had been incorrectly attributed to Malkovich and issued an apology.

“Mr. Malkovich did not make, provide, authorize or approve this statement, nor was it approved by his representatives," the firm said, adding, “We sincerely apologize to Mr. Malkovich and his representatives for the incorrect attribution and regret that this occurred."

Malkovich has previously appeared in Israel. He attended the Jerusalem Film Festival as a guest of honor in 2008 and returned in 2013 for performances at the Eilat International Chamber Music Festival and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

In his full statement, Malkovich said that he has performed in countries with governments, cultures and audiences whose views differ from his own, arguing that artistic appearances should not automatically be interpreted as political endorsements.

He said, “Generally speaking, I believe that we need more culture and more beauty in more places, not less. 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. I look forward to continuing to exercise my artistic freedom, come what may. However, only playwrights, novelists and screenwriters can put words in my 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."