Jena Malone shares that she was sexually assaulted, reflects on filming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part Two

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.’”