Jena Malone
- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Jena Malone was born in Reno, Nevada, raised in Sparks, Nevada; two cities that have merged together over time, to Deborah Malone and Edward Berge. Her grandfather owned a casino, Karl's Silver Club, in Reno. She was raised by her
mother and her mother's partner. Beginning as a child
actress, and then stepping up to roles as a young adult, Malone's
career path has been compared to that of
Jodie Foster, herself a former child
actress and who has co-starred with Malone in two movies. Jena is often
described as having a maturity beyond her years and, in her career thus
far, she has often tackled roles that are difficult and are not
standard fare for actors her age.
Malone's first claim to fame was in performing the title role in
Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
for which she won the Young Artist Award, and which she filmed when she
was merely ten years old. This movie dealt with issues of child abuse,
violence and sex. Jena has said in later interviews that this movie and
her participation in it continue to influence her life substantially.
Showing self-assurance and a clear vision of personal goals from an
early age, Jena, at age 14, was encouraged to try out for
Air Force One (1997), a movie that
was virtually guaranteed to be a success since box-office king
Harrison Ford was cast in the
lead, but Jena said she'd prefer to seek other roles that were of more
interest to her.
In the following years, Malone appeared in several made-for-TV movies
for which she won or was nominated for many awards. In 1997, she lucked
in to being cast in the blockbuster
Contact (1997) where she portrayed the
child version of Jodie Foster's lead
character. Foster stated that she built her character by mimicking
Jena. And, in 1998, Jena was cast in the major film
Stepmom (1998) where she co-starred with
Julia Roberts,
Susan Sarandon and
Ed Harris. Jena was given what was
likely the best line in that movie where her character, bitter over her
parents' divorce, confronts her father who has returned home briefly;
at a moment of crisis, her dad tells her "You do NOT run out on your
mother", and the rueful Malone exclaims "No -- that's YOUR job".
Also, in 1998, Malone appeared in a two-part episode of the critically
acclaimed TV series
Homicide: Life on the Street (1993).
Contrary to what might usually be expected of a teenage actress, in
this episode, Jena played the complex role of the perpetrator of a
crime, which she portrayed with subtlety.
At age 15, Jena was legally emancipated and thus took direct control of
her finances and her career. Malone began getting more attention and
acclaim in her next set of films: the artistic cult film
Donnie Darko (2001); the teenage
journey
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
where she again co-starred with
Jodie Foster; and the satirical
Saved! (2004) which debuted Jena as the
lead in a movie.
Jena has expressed an interest in directing some day, and so she is
preparing for roles behind the camera as well as in front. In 2002, she
co-produced American Girl (2002)
while also starring in it. And, in 2003, she undertook a formal study
of photography.
In early 2006, Malone debuted on the Broadway stage in the play
"Doubt". A review by Broadway.com characterized her performance as
"astonishing".
Many people in Hollywood have jobs as actors. Watch for Jena Malone.
She is an artist.
mother and her mother's partner. Beginning as a child
actress, and then stepping up to roles as a young adult, Malone's
career path has been compared to that of
Jodie Foster, herself a former child
actress and who has co-starred with Malone in two movies. Jena is often
described as having a maturity beyond her years and, in her career thus
far, she has often tackled roles that are difficult and are not
standard fare for actors her age.
Malone's first claim to fame was in performing the title role in
Bastard Out of Carolina (1996)
for which she won the Young Artist Award, and which she filmed when she
was merely ten years old. This movie dealt with issues of child abuse,
violence and sex. Jena has said in later interviews that this movie and
her participation in it continue to influence her life substantially.
Showing self-assurance and a clear vision of personal goals from an
early age, Jena, at age 14, was encouraged to try out for
Air Force One (1997), a movie that
was virtually guaranteed to be a success since box-office king
Harrison Ford was cast in the
lead, but Jena said she'd prefer to seek other roles that were of more
interest to her.
In the following years, Malone appeared in several made-for-TV movies
for which she won or was nominated for many awards. In 1997, she lucked
in to being cast in the blockbuster
Contact (1997) where she portrayed the
child version of Jodie Foster's lead
character. Foster stated that she built her character by mimicking
Jena. And, in 1998, Jena was cast in the major film
Stepmom (1998) where she co-starred with
Julia Roberts,
Susan Sarandon and
Ed Harris. Jena was given what was
likely the best line in that movie where her character, bitter over her
parents' divorce, confronts her father who has returned home briefly;
at a moment of crisis, her dad tells her "You do NOT run out on your
mother", and the rueful Malone exclaims "No -- that's YOUR job".
Also, in 1998, Malone appeared in a two-part episode of the critically
acclaimed TV series
Homicide: Life on the Street (1993).
Contrary to what might usually be expected of a teenage actress, in
this episode, Jena played the complex role of the perpetrator of a
crime, which she portrayed with subtlety.
At age 15, Jena was legally emancipated and thus took direct control of
her finances and her career. Malone began getting more attention and
acclaim in her next set of films: the artistic cult film
Donnie Darko (2001); the teenage
journey
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002)
where she again co-starred with
Jodie Foster; and the satirical
Saved! (2004) which debuted Jena as the
lead in a movie.
Jena has expressed an interest in directing some day, and so she is
preparing for roles behind the camera as well as in front. In 2002, she
co-produced American Girl (2002)
while also starring in it. And, in 2003, she undertook a formal study
of photography.
In early 2006, Malone debuted on the Broadway stage in the play
"Doubt". A review by Broadway.com characterized her performance as
"astonishing".
Many people in Hollywood have jobs as actors. Watch for Jena Malone.
She is an artist.