Malone made her acting debut in the television film Bastard Out of Carolina (1996); subsequently, she starred in a number of mainstream and independent films including Ellen Foster (1997), Contact (1997), Stepmom (1998), Donnie Darko (2001), Life as a House (2001), Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003), Saved! (2004), Pride & Prejudice (2005), Into the Wild (2007), The Ruins (2008), Sucker Punch (2011) and The Neon Demon (2016). She played Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games film series.\n', '

Malone is also an indie pop musician in two bands, Jena Malone and Her Bloodstains and The Shoe.\n', '

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 Karls Silver Club. Her father is of part Norwegian descent; she also has Irish ancestry. Malone grew up impoverished; her family relocated frequently and at times were 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 nine years old, she had lived in 27 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."\n', '

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