The Hunger Games actress Jena Malone has taken to social media to share her experience of being sexually assaulted after she completed filming Mockingjay Part 2, the last installment in the fan-favorite dystopian saga.
In a caption on Instagram she wrote, “—trigger warning—
This photo was taken right after I wrapped mocking Jay part two 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, 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.”
She continued, “A swirling mix of emotions I’m only now just learning to sort thru. 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.”
She acknowledged other survivors by ending her post by saying, “Lots of love to you survivors out there. 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.”
The 38-year-old’s words are accompanied by a filtered photo of herself looking at the camera in a field of grass.
Although she called the event “traumatic” the actress has not stated who the perpetrator of the assault was. This led some to be concerned in her comments. According to Harpers Bazaar, Jenna replied to a comment which suggested that her abuser “got to walk away with no repercussions”.
In response, she wrote that she was using a process she termed “restorative justice” to help her through the trauma.
“No that’s not true, I used restorative justice to allow healing and accountability and growth with the other person. It was a hard process but one I believe truly helped me move thru some of the hardest parts of the grief.”
She said that one day she would explain her mechanisms for coping with what happened to her, but that she doesn’t yet feel ready. “Just so you know, I didn’t read any books but know there are so many online. I did do a lot of online research. What lead me there was feeling not held by ‘outing’ someone using the traditional cancel-like culture that has been created. I also don’t fully see how the criminal justice system could fully repair my healing, though I do believe it can help in many ways.
“It all lead me to using restorative justice, basically a system of repairing harm, to speak to the other party involved and make requests of my healing journey and really just be heard. It wasn’t perfect and I’m sure I could have used the help of the many teachers out there who practice restorative justice in mediation settings. I felt I needed to do it alone I guess.”
One of her Hunger Games co-stars, Willow Shields, wrote underneath the vulnerable admission, “This post has me at a loss of words. I understand and I hope that though the process is so slow you are okay Jena ❤️”.
Jena portrayed Johanna Mason, a feisty, cut-throat tribute from District Seven for three of the franchises four films. She starred alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, and Josh Hutcherson.
(featured image: Lionsgate)
