Jena Malone says she was sexually assaulted while filming The Hunger Games
Jena Malone wished her work on The Hunger Games movie franchise wasn’t tied to “such a traumatic event”. (Getty)
Hunger Games star Jena Malone said she was sexually assaulted during the production of one of the hit films.
Malone played Joanna Mason, the female tribute from District 7, in 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. She reprised her role in the franchise’s later Mockingjay films.
Malone, who came out as pansexual in August, recently shared a photo on Instagram of herself standing alone in a sun-drenched field in the French countryside soon after wrapping up the final Hunger Games film – Mockingjay Part Two.
In the Instagram caption, the actor revealed that she was sexually assaulted while making the movies.
“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,” she wrote.
“Even [though] this time in Paris was extremely hard for me, was going [through] 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.”
Jena Malone described feeling a “swirling mix of emotions” when reflecting on the experience, and she wished her time on The Hunger Games “wasn’t tied to such a traumatic event” that she’s “only now just learning to sort” through.
“It’s been hard to talk about The Hunger Games and 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,” she wrote.
She continued: “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 concluded the post by sharing that she has “lots of love to you survivors out there”.
“The process is so slow and nonlinear,” she wrote. “I want to say I’m here for anyone who needs to talk or vent or open uncommunicated spaces within themselves.”
Australian actor Stef Dawson, known most notably for playing Annie Cresta in The Hunger Games series, reacted to the post in the comments section and called Malone a “beautiful brave soul”.
Dawson felt “so deeply sorry” that Malone’s time in the film franchise was “full of such heartache and complexity”.
Willow Shields, who played Primrose Everdeen in The Hunger Games saga, commented that the post had her at a “loss of words”.
“I understand and I hope that though the process is so slow you are okay Jena,” she wrote.
In the comments of her post, Jena Malone responded to one Instagram user’s message that they believed Malone’s alleged assaulter was able to “walk away with no repercussions”.
“No that’s not true,” Malone replied. “I used restorative justice to allow healing and accountability and growth with the other person. It was a hard process but one I believe truly helped me move thru some of the hardest parts of the grief.”
The Pride and Prejudice star added that she doesn’t “fully see how the criminal justice system could fully repair [her] healing” nor is she interested in the “traditional cancel-like culture that has been created”.
Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of sexual violence. If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
