In 2015, Jena Malone was in The Hunger Games. She's just revealed what happened on set.

You might not know Jena Malone's name, but you'd recognise her face. Whether it’s Donnie Darko alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, Pride and Prejudice alongside Keira Knightley, Cold Mountain alongside Nicole Kidman, Malone has an impressive acting CV.

However, the franchise that made her a household name was The Hunger Games. She first appeared in 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as Johanna Mason.

Malone, 38, has just now, eight years later, opened up about the fact that she was sexually assaulted during the filming of the fourth instalment of the series, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. 

Watch the trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 here. Story continues below. 

Posting on Instagram, the actress shared a photo of herself in a wheat field. Malone inserted a trigger warning in her Instagram caption before writing, "This photo was taken right after I wrapped Mockingjay Part Two and I had to say goodbye to everyone on set," she wrote.

"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 though this time in Paris was extremely hard for me, [I] was going through a bad breakup 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 through. I wish it wasn't tied to such a traumatic event for me but that is the real wildness of life I guess."

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A post shared by Jena Malone (@jenamalone)

The actor wrote about her struggles to process what happened to her and how she's now beginning to address them and heal from the past. "I’ve worked very hard to heal and learn through restorative justice, how to make peace with the person who violated me and make peace with myself."

Malone went on to write, "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 through it and reclaim the joy and accomplishment I felt."

Image: Lionsgate Films

The actress finished her post with a call out to others who had suffered abuse. "Lots of love to you survivors out there. The process is so slow and nonlinear. I want to say I'm here for anyone who needs to talk or vent or open uncommunicated spaces within themselves. Please dm me if you need a safe space to be heard."

Fellow Hunger Games actor Willow Shields who played Primrose in the series commented below the post, "This post has me at a loss of words. I understand and I hope that though the process is so slow, you are okay Jena."

Actor Griffin Matthews (She Hulk, The Flight Attendant) also wrote, "Your light (and bravery) are so bright. Thank you for this," alongside hundreds of other people and fans sharing their own stories of assault and their healing journey. 

Jena Malone and Willow Shields at Catching Fire Red Carpet. Image: Getty

Whilst Malone has seen huge success in her career, the actor didn’t have an easy upbringing. Her father, a card dealer in Reno, was married to another woman when her mother fell pregnant after their one-night stand. 

Malone was raised by her mother and her girlfriend. "They were lovers," she told The Daily Beast. "I had two moms, and it was awesome. Double the pleasure! The more love you have as a child, the better."

However, their family was very poor and constantly hopping from city to city. Malone has said she lived in 27 different places by the time she was nine years old. "We were just so poor," she told the publication. "We’d hop out of apartments, lose jobs, find a cheaper place, get kicked out, live in cars, and live in hotels. It was glorious. I don’t think it was a tough childhood. I actually found it quite pleasurable, and it prepared me for this strange, gypsy lifestyle of an actor."

After asking her mother to move to Los Angeles so she could try become an actress, Malone scored a role in the 1996 film Bastard Out of Carolina, which won her the Young Artist Award and began her rise to fame. She's been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards since.

Image: Out of Carolina Productions

However, in 1999, Malone filed for emancipation from her mother. According to The LA Times, the 14-year-old actress at the time accused her mother of ‘excessive spending’ and ‘mismanagement’ of over $1million of her hard earned money. The court papers at the time claim Malone’s mother lived off her child’s earnings for years and because of her spending habits, left her 14-year-old with a drained college fund and $20,000 in taxes owed to the government. 

Despite this happening at such a young age, Malone navigated through her career and became a mother herself. She shares a son named Ode Mountain with ex-fiance Ethan DeLorenzo.

Feature Image: Getty.

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