- John Malkovich has cancelled his upcoming performance of the musical play The Music Critic in Tel Aviv, which was scheduled for 13 April.
- The 72-year-old actor pulled out after an Israeli PR agency published a fabricated quote attributing feelings of "strong closeness and solidarity" with the local audience to him.
- Malkovich described the unauthorised statement as "unacceptable and untenable", stating that performing in a country does not signal approval of its policies or political causes.
- Show producer Alon Yurick apologised for the error, attributing the fake quote to a misunderstanding, while The Jerusalem Post subsequently removed the text.
- The planned event would have been a rare performance by a prominent international artist in Israel amid ongoing cultural boycotts over the conflict in the region.
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