Jena Malone shares that she was sexually assaulted, reflects on filming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part Two
Jena Malone shares she's ready to" move thru it and reclaim the joy and accomplishment I felt"
Aux News Jena Malone
Jena Malone has shared that she was sexually assaulted by a coworker while shooting the final Hunger Games franchise film, Mockingjay — Part Two. In a lengthy Instagram post, the lifelong actor details her experience filming the fifth movie, and the tenuous life circumstances which detracted from her relationship with the film itself.
“This photo was taken right after I wrapped Mockingjay Part Two and I had to say goodbye to everyone on set,” Malone writes. “We were shooting in a beautiful estate in the countryside of France and I asked the driver to let me out in this field so I could cry and capture this moment. Even tho this time in Paris was extremely hard for me, was going thru a bad break-up and also was sexually assaulted by someone I had worked with, I was so full of gratitude for this project, the people I became close with and this amazing part I got to play. A swirling mix of emotions I’m only now just learning to sort thru.”
She continues, “I wish it wasn’t tied to such a traumatic event for me but that is the real wildness of life, I guess. How to hold the chaos with the beauty. I’ve worked very hard to heal and learn thru restorative justice, how to make peace with the person who violated me and make peace with myself.”
Malone does not share any details on who the assaulter was, and if it was someone she was working with on the Hunger Games set or a coworker from a previous project. In a comment on the post, she says she has not outed the person in question due to “cancel-like culture.”
She concludes her post by saying, “It’s been hard to talk about the Hunger Games and [character] Johanna Mason without feeling the sharpness of this moment in time but I’m ready to move thru it and reclaim the joy and accomplishment I felt. Lots of love to you survivors out there. The process is so slow and non-linear. I want to say I’m here for anyone who needs to talk or vent or open uncommunicated spaces within themselves.”
Earlier last month, Malone reflected on the macro effects of the #MeToo movement on the industry.
“I think the things to be optimistic about is building language, learning to add words and vernacular to things that have not been well languaged in the past, learning how to build allyship, specifically for your own well-being,” Malone told IndieWire. “I think that’s a really cool byproduct of where #MeToo started and is now veering into because of the pandemic. It’s a really beautiful awareness of not just power structures, but also, ‘Honey, we need rest. Let’s have better hours on set, let’s be kind to each other.’”
30 Comments
She’s free to do whatever she likes, but sexual assault is a crime. If I sexually assault one of my coworkers, the least that happens to me is that I get fired. If somehow it gets around to another prospective employer that I sexually assaulted a coworker at my last job, I probably won’t be hired there. None of that is cancelling or “cancel-like”. It’s just what happens when people can’t trust that someone won’t repeat terrible behavior.I understand that there can be extenuating circumstances. Sometimes people realize immediately they’ve done something grievously wrong and honestly resolve to never do it again. That probably shouldn’t preclude at least termination, even if they’re not publicly outed. But the whole “I don’t want to spoil this person’s entire life” excuse reeks of Brock Turner type exceptionalism.
I know the comments section here has become a dumpster fire, but the very first comment mainsplaining on a story about sexual assault was not on my bingo card.
It should have been your entire bingo card.
Well it is now!
Is “mainsplaining” a thing?
I was thinking the same thing. It’s taken me decades to come to terms with what happened to me, and I know it was illegal, but it’s already hard enough to process it without the stress of having to face abusers in court. The idea of having to do that terrifies me.
Brock Turner didn’t get a pass from his victim. I don’t know the details here, so while normally I think it’s better to reveal when someone has committed a serious crime, I also don’t have much grounds to second-guess Malone.
No, he didn’t, but he did get leniency from a judge for that reason. And it’s not uncommon for people in general to give passes to their abusers for similar reasons. It’s common enough that I always have some seed of doubt for this sort of story, even though I wouldn’t care to dispute anyone’s decision if I personally knew one of the parties involved.
Bruh
If there’s anything I’ve picked up over the last 6-7 years it’s that publicly naming your abuser opens you up to a lot of scrutiny and criticism.
Too true, unfortunately. I definitely didn’t account for that.
are you not seeing the hell Evan Rachel Wood is being dragged through right now and she has a ridiculous amount of evidence. Heard literally lives in another country now. And that’s domestic abuse. the legal system often ends up harming the victim even more in sexual assault cases.
Heard is an abuser. Maybe don’t use her as an example?
i believe she means she doesn’t want to have to deal with the “cancel like culture” for accusing someone publicly
What an awful comment. It is absolutely insane to accuse a victim of sexual assault of “Brock Turner type exceptionalism”. She did not make an “excuse”. She has no excuses to make, because she did absolutely nothing wrong. She doesn’t owe anyone anything. Other than her attacker, she is the only person who knows what happens, and she is the only one who has any idea of the likely outcome of her speaking out, both for her attacker and for herself. In any case, the fact that you think her attacker deserves the consequences of their actions is entirely beside the point. That’s just one of the many factors that she is entitled to take into account when making her decision.
That is not what I said, and it sounds like other than your initial mischaracterization of my argument, you and I are in complete agreement.
My daughter was drugged and raped – at age 15 – by a close step-family member in the midwest we were visiting on vacation – and the hardest thing I ever had to do was let it be HER decision whether to call police and file charges against him. Because it was HER life that would be affected by the need to go through police, medical exams, trial, and everything that followed. It was her that would have to be asked to testify – and her who would be called to the stand for cross exam if he fought charges. You seem to forget that deciding whether or not to pursue someone legally can cause years of hell for the accuser (not just the assaulter) – it can literally be a whole new level of hell to add to what has already happened.My wife and I sat with her and told her about the possible ways things could go – and that sometimes male white juvenile offenders (he was same age as her) get a very easy first pass through our justice system, and there was a possibility his defenders could try to slander her charachter, and that the side of the family he is associated may take his side. She had to decide if adding more pain and fighting – and a possible family split – was something she wanted to endure. But it was HER CHOICE. My daughter’s answer as to why she decided to press charges still brings me to tears – she had already done the math that he had likely done this before, and would do it again, and it needed to stop somewhere… She wanted to be the last. At 15 my little girl chose to do that – she is braver than I ever had to be. Thankfully the legal system worked in this case – he is now a designated sex offender, with a decent sentence and years of enforced monitoring and reparations ahead of him. And the entire family circled around my daughter and had her back – I was prepared to murder if even one person suggested she in any way contributed to or helped cause it but not one person said anything like that…It doesn’t fix what was done to my daughter – but seeing the family, and the system have her back has helped her. As has counseling and therapy for the past few years. But it had to be her choice – she had to fight that battle – we could stand in her corner, support her, go to court with her, get her to therapy, and listen and help and be there for her (and give her space when she needed it). Forcing her to go through that if she didn’t want to – would have been another form of assault – another choice taken from her by someone else, and another trauma she would be forced to endure. At least by giving her the choice, we made it something she had some control over. Please stop guilting those who cannot bring themselves to go through the process of publicly confronting their assaulters – this is just piling hurt on top of the original hurt. Just have empathy – and try to help make this a world where they feel safer to report things like this.
I’m sorry that happened to your daughter, and am really amazed and inspirited that she had the courage to go through with it. You sound like great parents. But just to reiterate, I’m not judging Malone for not doing so, I’m just lamenting the idea that someone might not have been punished for something that they should face repercussions for, and worried that like your daughter concluded, someone who isn’t stopped one time might continue to do it. It’s an entirely shitty situation from top to bottom that so many people get away with sex crimes and that even those who publicly try to change it get burned so often and so thoroughly. I wish it weren’t the case, but wishing unfortunately doesn’t change anything, and I have incredibly limited choices for direct action.
Thank you for sharing.
When I was 15, my sister brought her boyfriend over for the first time. They came into the living room where I was laying on a recliner. I thought to leave but then thought it would be rude. She left the room. He immediately got up, apporached me, said “Howya doin’” and put his hands all over me. I was 85lbs. and couldn’t fight him off. When he grabbed me between the legs my legs came up and I pushed him off of me. He went right through the living room window. I hadn’t even had a period yet. No one apologized. No one defended me. Six years later I had to be a bridesmaid at their miserable wedding.My mother recently died (fuck her) and now they’re fucking with my inheritance. They have been hostile toward me for 40 years – because they’re sadistic animals (but ‘family’) and I was expected to keep their secret. I am about ready to speak.Sorry if I’m hijacking someone else’s trauma, but I am in alliance with this woman’s fight and it’s time we all speak up.
I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through. Solidarity.
Thank You,
The Hunger Games is the only film I’ve gotten most of the way through then shut it off. As soon as I realized they were gonna have her win and not have her have to make the choice to kill anyone I shut it off. YA trash.
My brother and I were saying something similar about Quantumania. Knowing Kang shows up in Avengers eliminates all dramatic tension.
Yeah, I didn’t even bother finishing the Lord of the Rings trilogy when I found out Sauron is the villain in all of them.
I turned off Citizen Kane when it was obvious from frame one that Rosebud was a sled.
She did kill someone, though. More than one.
Also, there are multiple variants of Kang, so I don’t see how knowing those variants are going to appear elsewhere has any impact on Quantumania.
After reading about Dan Schneider and his feet fetish this year I’ve begun to notice a pattern of sexual abuse in children’s entertainment. Hmmmmm, probably not a problem.
Oh? Do tell?
I was writing a chemistry exam three days ago (I’ve been retaking grade 12 all year in preparation for a different career path) I’ve had to write my exams in the adult learning center area of the local highschool. I feel a little uncomfortable being there considering I’m 31. So I was writing my exam and this young blonde girl was sitting beside me. Then this creepy looking teacher starts begging her to take his class again insisting that his day will be better if he can see her in his class every morning. And then shes like no I already took your class. And he’s like “take it again we can teach eachother” and then that went on for like 5 minutes.
Thankfully I swallowed the puke in my mouth and did not have to leave my exam.
We really need to collectively pull up our socks with whom we allow to work around our children. Is what I’m saying.