Jena Malone

Biography

Jena Laine Malone (born November 21, 1984) is an American actress. Her accolades include a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. Born in Sparks, Nevada, Malone spent her early life there and in Las Vegas, while her mother acted in local theater productions. Inspired to become an actress herself, Malone convinced her mother to relocate to Los Angeles. 

After auditioning for several projects, Malone was cast by Anjelica Huston in her television film Bastard Out of Carolina (1996), for which she earned acclaim. She subsequently obtained roles in the major studio productions Contact (1997), Hope (1997), and Stepmom (1998).

Malone began the 2000s with the independent psychological thriller Donnie Darko (2001), which became a cult film. She followed this with roles in the drama Life as a House and the miniseries Hitler: The Rise of Evil (both 2003), and starred in the dark comedy Saved! (2004). She was subsequently cast as Lydia Bennet in Joe Wright's adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice (2005). 

She additionally had supporting roles in the dramas The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005), Into the Wild (2007), and the horror film The Ruins (2008). Malone made her foray into action films with Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch (2011) and was subsequently cast as Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), a role she reprised in two sequels between 2014 and 2015; The Hunger Games franchise ranks among her highest-grossing film roles. 

She was then cast in supporting roles in Nicolas Winding Refn's psychological horror film The Neon Demon and Tom Ford's thriller Nocturnal Animals (both 2016).

Malone has ventured into music, releasing a single as Jena Malone and the Blood Stains in 2007. The following year she began performing street shows with a musical project called The Shoe, which features Malone performing with various instruments contained in a steamer trunk.

In May 2016, Malone gave birth to a son with her boyfriend, photographer Ethan DeLorenzo. The couple announced their engagement on August 30, 2016. In February 2019, Malone and DeLorenzo ended their relationship. She has been in a relationship with musician Alex Ebert as of 2019.

In 2022, Malone helped rescue a dog that was being abused by its owner and donated to a GoFundMe campaign to cover the costs of its surgery.

In August 2022, Malone publicly came out as pansexual and polyamorous.

In March 2023, Malone opened up about being sexually assaulted while working on The Hunger Games franchise; Malone shared a photo to Instagram that she took after filming wrapped on the series’ fourth and final film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. In the comments section, Malone explained she had chosen not to name her alleged assailant due to the 'cancel-like culture' nowadays.