John Malkovich, now Best Actor Oscar frontrunner, cancels Israel trip over fabricated 'solidarity' quote
John Malkovich has become an early awards season frontrunner after winning Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. The actor has also made headlines for cancelling his upcoming trip to Israel, following falsely attributed quotes.
The Venice Film Festival concluded earlier this week, often acting as a precursor to the Academy Awards. This year's 83rd edition generated considerable early buzz for actor John Malkovich, who secured the prestigious Best Actor award for his role in Martin McDonaugh's dark comedy, Wild Horse Nine. The film follows two CIA agents sent to Easter Island just before the 1973 Chilean coup d'état.
Malkovich, unable to attend the ceremony in person due to filming obligations in Montreal, delivered a video message expressing gratitude for the honor.
Malkovich has also been in the spotlight for canceling his upcoming trip to Israel due to a fabricated solidarity quote. He was scheduled to perform in the theatrical-musical satire, The Music Critic, composed by Israeli violinist Aleksey Igudesman, in Tel Aviv's Charles Bronfman Auditorium next April. The cancellation stemmed from an unauthorized press release that falsely quoted Malkovich as saying he was "thrilled to return to Israel," eager to meet the "warm Israeli audience," and expressing a "strong closeness and solidarity" with them.
The press release, published in The Jerusalem Post, sparked controversy when The Hollywood Reporter disclosed the fabricated quotes to Malkovich. The actor unequivocally denied having authorized or even made the statements attributed to him in the press release. In a statement, Malkovich accused a PR company hired by the Israeli promoter of drafting the quote without his consent, which he firmly rejected as untrue and indefensible.
He emphasized that his performances across various countries, regardless of their political views, do not constitute approval or endorsement of those nations' policies or actions.
Organizations like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations have labeled Israel's actions as genocide, citing reports from a UN independent commission that found Israeli authorities had deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in atrocities in the Gaza Strip and war crimes in the West Bank. The Israeli PR firm responsible for the fabricated quotes later issued an apology, stating that they had "incorrectly" attributed quotes to Malkovich and regretting the incident.
Malkovich, who last visited Israel in 2013, affirmed that his appearances in any country do not imply approval of its policies or actions, nor do they signify any form of solidarity with particular political causes or acts of terrorism.
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