“A swirling mix of emotions I’m only now just learning to sort thru– but that is the real wildness of life, I guess. How to hold the chaos with the beauty.”
The actress, who plays Johanna Mason in the wildly popular franchise, says she was sexually assaulted by a coworker while filming “The Hunger Games.”
Jena Malone, now 38, took to Instagram yesterday to make the revelation and describe how she overcame the traumatic event.
Malone shared a photo of herself standing in the French countryside among tall grass. She explained that the image was taken after filming the Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.
She wrote, “This photo was taken right after I wrapped [Mockingjay – Part 2], and I had to say goodbye to everyone on set. 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, I was going thru 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 thru.”
She added, “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. It’s been hard to talk about the hunger games and 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.”
The actress said she has forgiven the unnamed person who assaulted her and is only now processing the trauma.
She ended her poignant message by extending her solidarity to other victims of sexual assault.
“Lots of love to you survivors out there,” Malone wrote. “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.”
Malone played Johanna Mason, in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire before reprising the role in the two-part final installment- Mockingjay- Part 1 and Mockingjay- Part 2.