Jena Malone is an American actress and musician who has appeared on television and in films. She is the best known for her roles in the films such as "Stepmom", "Donnie Darko", "Pride & Prejudice", Into the Wild", "Sucker Punch", "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire".
Background
Jena Malone was raised by her mother, and spent her early years living in 27 different places around Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas, including trailer parks and the family car. When she was 10 years old she and her mother, who generally supported the family on welfare, decided their next move would be to Los Angeles. It seemed her young daughter held dreams of becoming an actress and at that time in their life, they had nothing to lose by trying. Thousands of families have made similar pilgrimages each year but Malone's paid off within months. Her first role was in a student film called "Sunday's Child". She moved on to commercials, music videos and a guest appearance on an episode of "Chicago Hope". Then, when Malone was only 12 years old, she got a starring role in her first feature, "Bastard Out of Carolina". The newcomer earned nominations from the Independent Spirit Awards and the Screen Actors Guild and took home a Young Artist Award. The 1998 film "Stepmom" was enormously popular and established Malone as a household name amongst movie lovers. Also she appeared in various films: "Donnie Darko"(2001), "Saved!"(2004) Gradually making the transition from child star to mature actress, she appeared in small but key roles in the highly acclaimed films "Cold Mountain"(2003), "Pride & Prejudice" (2005), "Into the Wild"(2007), "The Soloist" (2009) and "Sucker Punch"(2011). Most recently she starred in the film "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire".
Education
Jena was homeschooled for several years, and feels that it helped her to excel in all of her subjects, loving Math and the Renaissance the most. She briefly attended the Professional Children's School in New York.
Career
TV Productions
1996 "Chicago Hope", Stacey Morissey (1 episode)
1998 "Homicide: Life on the Street", Debbie Straub (2 episodes)
1999 "Touched by an Angel", Casey (1 episode)
2008 "Law & Order", Michelle Landon (1 episode)
Movie Productions
1996 "Bastard Out of Carolina", Ruth Anne ‘Bone’ Boatwright
1996 "Hidden in America", Willa
1997 "Contact", Young Ellie
1997 "Hope", Lilly Kate Burns
1997 "Ellen Foster", Ellen Foster
1998 "Stepmom", Anna Harrison
1999 "The Book of Stars", Mary McGuire
1999 "For Love of the Game", Heather Aubrey
2000 "Cheaters", Jolie Fitch
2001 "Donnie Darko", Gretchen Ross
2001 "The Ballad of Lucy Whipple", California Morning ‘Lucy’ Whipple
2001 "Life as a House", Alyssa Beck
2002 "The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys", Margie Flinn
2002 "The Badge", Ashley Hardwick
2002 "American Girl", Rena Grubb
2003 "The United States of Leland", Becky Pollard
2003 "Hitler: The Rise of Evil", Geli Raubal
2003 "Cold Mountain", Ferry Girl
2004 "Saved!", Mary
2004 "Howl’s Moving Castle", Lettie (voice English version)
2004 "Corn", Emily Rasmussen
2005 "The Ballad of Jack and Rose", Red Berry
2005 "Pride & Prejudice", Lydia Bennet
2006 "Container", The Woman/Speaker (voice)
2006 "Lying", Grace
2007 "Four Last Songs", Frankie
2007 "The Go-Getter", Joely
2007 "Into the Wild", Carine McCandless
2008 "The Ruins", Amy
2009 "The Messenger", Kelly
2009 "The Soloist", Cheery Lab Tech
2010 "Five Star Day", Sarah Reynolds
2011 "Sucker Punch", Rocket
2011 "The Wait", Angela
2012 "For Ellen", Susan
2012 "In Our Nature", Andie
2012 "Ten Cent Pistol", TBA
2013 "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", Johanna Mason (Filming)
In 2007, it was announced that she was releasing her first single on The Social Registry, a New York City experimental music label. A number of tracks were posted to her MySpace page, Pitchfork Media has described her music as “pretty out-there– bedroom electronics, spaced-out keyboards, and Malone’s spare vocals.”
