Actress Jena Malone has revealed that she was sexually assaulted by someone she worked with while filming The Hunger Games.
The 38-year old actress bravely chose to break her silence on Instagram, bringing closure and offering solace both to herself and the individual who had wronged her – a secret she’d fought long and hard to keep. “To make peace with the person who violated me,” she wrote candidly, “…and to make peace with myself.”
Malone, who played Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games, shared a photo of herself in a field in rural France, after filming ended.
Malone explained that it was at that moment that she had just said “goodbye to everyone in the group” and told her driver to stop so she could cry and have a memory of the moment.
She penned, referring to the photo: “Although these days in Paris were tremendously hard for me since I was juggling personal issues and had been sexually assaulted by someone at my job…I felt profoundly grateful for this film project and everyone involved. It allowed me to portray a stunning role.”
Subsequently, she declared “I strived arduously to heal and comprehend (..) how to find harmony with the individual who harmed me as well as within myself.”
Malone acknowledged how “tough” it was to talk about The Hunger Games movies and its protagonists without feeling a tremendous emotional intensity. Nonetheless, I’m prepared to move forward in order to recapture the sense of joy and success that I had before!
She concluded with love letters to all survivors of repeated sexual assaults, and described her recovery as “slow”. And Malone offered support to anyone who needed it.
Willow Shields, who shines as Jennifer Lawrence’s sister in the movie, shared her feedback on this particular post.
“This post confused me… I understand and hope… that even though the process is very slow, you are doing well, Gina,” he wrote.
The Hunger Games film series, a thrilling blend of science fiction and adventure based on the epic trilogy by renowned American author Suzanne Collins.
