He put out a statement that embarrassed Israel. It’s a good thing. You all are a bunch of wet blankets.
Agreed, but wet for a reason. You can be glad someone made a good choice after a bad one, but still not be happy a bad one was made in the first place.
I’m proud of him for standing up and drawing a line in the sand, but disappointed he was walking on the beach to being with.
Why would he plan a gig in Israel in the first place, anyway?
Apparently he considers that play for citizens does not implies complacency with the government, which makes an interesting point, especially if many countries have governments that you condem with some citizens that indeed complain about their governments in there and that may be is your target audience and you want to support… regarding your tolerance threshold vs profesionalism concept it would may be hard to find work at all otherwise. But for sure at a certain point of government abuses, unless you declare openly your support or not, it looks like you tacitly approve it, and the apparent message rises, and then is practically like directly asking the actor about his personal opinion and not wanting to answer, which looks like an answer itself. He may have just met the threshold with the situation, may even be contractually lured into it in the first place and found a “way out”…
I don’t think he is getting that Oscar now.
They couldn’t just be proud and content with having a major actor visiting their country, they just had to lie about him proclaiming to be Israel’s #1 dick rider. Greedy. He also shouldn’t have planned to go to begin with.
He has a pretty good reason for being there in the first place. There is nothing wrong with having a good enough reason to go there. As long as you aren’t a coward about it.
The article explains well what happened and i believe it shows his integrity.
If you don’t believe me then keep scrolling the comments here to find out why he had a good reason to be there in the first place.
A willingness to honor your commitments is not something we discourage. And not allowing yourself to be used to promote and be promoted by a terrible regime by sacrificing something you have committed to, openly and transparently is also something we should probably take good note of.
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I replied to the wrong comment and can’t find it now. I clicked on a comment that was similar
That reason was shit?
“It’s a chance to share storytelling with Nazis”
That’s not the one, keep looking
He was just going to star in a show. That is as bad a reason as they come for going to Israel at the present time.
If you read the comment im referencing then that is quite the simplification of what his trip meant to him
I have no idea what you are referring to. This quote seems pretty clear he was happy to perform in Israel.
Malkovich, who is a leading Oscar contender for his role in Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, was due to appear in The Music Critic, a theatrical-musical satire composed by the Jewish violinist Aleksey Igudesman, in Tel Aviv’s Charles Bronfman Auditorium on 13 April.
I couldn’t give two shits about what it means to him. It is his act of going to Israel and star in a show which is important here. You can rationalise anything with words, but in the end it comes down to what you do, your actions not words.
John Malkovich has always been based.
Why would he even be going there in the first place?
I was made aware of an article which appeared in The Hollywood Reporter (first published in The Jerusalem Post) announcing a date in Tel Aviv, Israel, for a performance of a piece called ‘The Music Critic,’ one of the numerous classical music collaborations and live theatre performances I have been touring in for nearly two decades and which I have performed in 47 countries at last count. The Tel Aviv date was meant to be one of several touring stops throughout Europe and the Middle East.
Written and conceived by Russian-German Jewish violinist and composer Aleksey Igudesman, The Music Critic blends classical music with comedy and scathing reviews of some of history’s most celebrated composers. Malkovich embodies an “evil critic” who insults iconic composers including Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven and Frédéric Chopin.
I haven’t read the article. There is absolutely no justification for going to Israel unless it’s to impede or protest genocide.
He gave what I thought was a thoughtful explanation of why he was planning to go:
“Throughout my long career, I’ve been lucky to perform across a quite wide swath of the world – in countries with governments whose values or culture I do not share and in front of audiences of many differing faiths and ideologies,” he wrote. “Travelling to places whose view of the world may not align with mine has given me a chance to observe and to listen and learn and to share my idea of what makes good storytelling and what makes beautiful music and how they can complement each other and illuminate the human condition.
“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.”
Oh Malkovich, you classy son of a bitch!
This, btw, from a man who according to this very same article
In 2011, he told an interviewer he was not a “political person”, lacked “an ideology”, and hadn’t voted since 1972.
Which IMO illustrates just how pissed he had to be at Israel.
I read that in his voice
Yeah but who needs a thoughtful explanation when you already have a cherished narrative? /s
As a counterpoint, the above is basically just a reframing of “kill the artist,” I.e ignore all the surroundings of what made a piece of art and just look at the art itself in a vacuum.
The above is neither possible, practical, or reasonable, especially when the artists are calling for or funding genocide and mass death. Giving your voice to such work is itself hoisting up the act of genocide, and that is not defensible.
I appreciate the excerpt.
I’m not surprised at all by what I read there, because it’s the same mealy-mouthed output anyone else would use in that position.
It’s disappointing to hear a false equivalence between the country he lives in and has little choice in, versus one he chooses to visit wilfully.
Also, language like “ in countries with governments whose values or culture I do not share” is also weak as urine to allude to a place carrying out genocide.
Edit: he mentioned killing of innocents, but did not really specify who he is talking about.
If he’s talking about an event that he pulled out of specifically because they misrepresented his presence as having ‘solidarity’ with Israel, who do you think the statement is about? 🙄
Sure, but performing there is not observing.
He gave what I thought was a thoughtful explanation of why he was planning to go
that’s not thoughtful at all, it’s just described what he does…he goes places, observes, makes good money and returns.
there’s no justification for visiting Israel, Russia etc or any such place and lending his considerable cachet to thier validation. It’s why they asked him their in the first place ffs.
That he doesn’t Vote is the worst spit in the face there is. You have entire nations with citizens giving their lives fighting to be able to vote in free elections and he just shit in their pockets saying it doesn’t matter.
fuck that guy
would you consider yourself an electoralist?
Visiting a place usually involves paying taxes to its government though. So however you may feel about their actions, you are financially supporting them. That is an ethical consideration that should be weighed, I think.
It’s not that I disagree with you - I don’t - but your comment is my number one complaint about Lemmy. It’s a place to rant one’s fixed positions without discussion. To proudly share that you didn’t read the article and then barf your absolutist position… it’s not brave and principled. It’s dumb. Malkovich made some interesting and more nuanced statements on this subject which you didn’t read but I’m thinking at this point you wouldn’t be able to understand them anyway.
You should read it before making blanket statements, regardless of my agreement with your point.
I have read it now, and I regret reading it. It was the most predictable thing ever, once again.
Summary: Self-absorbed artist and fan of Israel who is is unmoved by genocide draws a line for himself only.
I might go to defecate there and spread the pollution an airliner spews, but I wouldn’t spend a single cent there. Israel is lucky we dont consider them an enemy yet. And why we don’t is a mystery and a travesty.
Its not really a mystery. Zionist fifth columnists control your government.
Read the fucking article you dumb ass or enjoy the god damned egg all over your face
What a horrible antisemite! /s
Really, that’s where he draws the line?
Nobody can do anything right anymore am I right?
Not without being sent to a re-education camp a few times until the doctrines become second nature.
He gave his reasoning for the Israel venue that everyone can evaluate for themselves, but drawing the line at libel doesn’t seem that crazy.
People draw the line wherever they feel like they should draw it. Some don’t draw it all.
He doesn’t seem to be drawing a line for anyone here but himself.
But unless it’s my line, it’s evil.
