Friday 24 June 2016

Jena Malone

Jena Malone, born November 21, 1984) is an American actress and musician. She made her film debut in Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) and has appeared in films including Ellen Foster (1997), Contact (1997), Stepmom (1998), Donnie Darko (2001), Saved! (2004), Pride & Prejudice (2005), Into the Wild (2007), The Ruins (2008), Sucker Punch (2011), and The Hunger Games film series (2013–15). Malone is also an experimental musician who has released music both under her own name and as The Shoe.

Malone was born in Sparks, Nevada, the daughter of Deborah "Debbie" Malone and Edward Berge. She was raised by her mother and her mother's girlfriend at the time, whom she has called "Godmom". Her paternal grandfather was Karl Berge, former owner of the Bourbon Square Casino. Her father is of part Norwegian descent; she also has Irish ancestry. Malone grew up impoverished, and her family relocated frequently, and were at times homeless. "We were just so poor," Malone said in retrospect. "We'd hop out of apartments, lose jobs, find a cheaper place, get kicked out, live in cars, and live in hotels." By the time she was 9 years old, she had already lived in 27 different locations. However, she stated the experience was positive for her: "I don’t think it was a tough childhood... it prepared me for this strange, gypsy lifestyle of an actor. It's a beautiful thing to give children diversity of where to live and how to live; it makes you believe that security is built within instead of four concrete walls that you call a home."

In 2011, Malone played the role of Rocket in Zack Snyder's Sucker Punch, which flopped at the box office and caused the actress to consider focusing on her photography and band, Shoe. It was after the huge success of her next role in The History Channel's miniseries Hatfields and McCoys that Malone's passion for acting returned. In 2012, Malone also starred in a series on the YouTube channel Wigs entitled Dakota, portraying the title character. She also played the role of Carson McCullers in the film Lonely Hunter, directed by Deborah Kampmeir. Malone played Johanna Mason in three out of four films in The Hunger Games franchise, Catching Fire, Mockingjay – Part 1, and Mockingjay – Part 2.

In November 2014, Malone exhibited 39 photographs that she took in Myanmar in the summer of that year. The exhibition, which ran from November 21 to November 28, 2014, was called "The Holy Other." It took place at MAMA, an art gallery owned by her personal friend Adarsha Benjamin in Downtown Los Angeles. Proceeds were donated to Girl Determined, a non-profit organization which benefits girls' education in Myanmar.

She was cast as Jenet Klyburn (though earlier reports had said she was cast as Barbara Gordon) in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, also directed by Zack Snyder. Her scenes were left out of the theatrical release, but will appear on the "Ultimate Edition" home video release. In February 2015, she was cast alongside Keanu Reeves in Nicolas Winding Refn's thriller film The Neon Demon.

At 19, Malone purchased a home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, where she resided as of 2012.

Malone is in a relationship with photographer Ethan DeLorenzo. In late May 2016, she gave birth to their son Ode Mountain DeLorenzo Malone.

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