The Hunger Games actor Jena Malone opens up about her experience with sexual assault while filming the hit franchise. Based on the trilogy of novels by author Suzanne Collins, the first movie in the popular franchise was released in 2012, proving successful enough to spawn three sequels, with a prequel now also in development. Malone was first introduced in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in 2013, playing the character of Johanna Mason, a role that she would reprise for the two final movies in the franchise.
Now, almost eight years after the release of the final Hunger Games movie, Malone reveals in a new Instagram post that she was sexually assaulted by someone she worked with on the franchise.
Malone doesn’t name the person who assaulted her, but does offer details in the post’s caption regarding her quest to heal after the “traumatic event” and that she’s now learned how to “make peace with the person who violated” her. While expressing gratitude to have gotten the opportunity to play Johanna in The Hunger Games, the actor explains that the role still brings up a “swirling mix of emotions im only now just learning to sort thru.“
Malone Explains Why She Chooses Not To Name Her Assaulter
In response to comments on the post, Malone offers further details regarding why she has chosen not to name her assaulter. Disagreeing with one comment on the post in which a user says the person who violated her got to “walk away with no repercussions,” the Hunger Games actor stresses that her process of “restorative justice” has allowed her to confront the individual directly as part of her larger journey to heal. This type of justice that Malone describes allowed her to, above all else, “really just be heard“.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement, when a number of actors publicly accused others in Hollywood of sexual misconduct, Malone explains further in her Instagram comments that she ultimately didn’t feel as if sharing the person’s identity was the right choice for her. The Hunger Games actor opted not to use the “cancel like culture” that is prevalent today, and nor did she feel like pursuing legal options would allow her to fully heal and move past the experience.
While some commenters evidently believe that the Hunger Games franchise star should have shared her assaulter’s name to truly achieve justice, the actor’s responses suggest that her restorative justice technique is what has been beneficial for her, which is what matters. It remains to be seen whether Malone will offer any further explanation on the incident that happened on the set of the hit franchise. Fellow Hunger Games franchise actor Willow Shields shared a thoughtful response to Malone’s post, but, as of writing, other major actors in the series have not yet addressed her comments.
Source: Jena Malone
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