Jena Malone was born in Reno, Nevada, to Deborah Malone and Edward Berge, and raised in Sparks, Nevada. Her grandfather owned a casino, Karl's Silver Club, in Reno. She was raised by her mother and her mother's partner.
Malone began her acting career as a child actress, and her path has been compared to that of Jodie Foster, who has co-starred with her in two movies. She is often described as having a maturity beyond her years and has tackled roles that are difficult and not standard fare for actors her age.
Malone's first claim to fame was in the title role in Bastard Out of Carolina (1996),for which she won the Young Artist Award, and which she filmed when she was just 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.
At the age of 14, Malone was encouraged to try out for Air Force One (1997),but she preferred to seek other roles that were of more interest to her. In the following years, she appeared in several made-for-TV movies for which she won or was nominated for many awards.
In 1997, Malone lucked into 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.
Malone also appeared in a two-part episode of the critically acclaimed TV series Homicide: Life on the Street (1993),where she played the complex role of the perpetrator of a crime, which she portrayed with subtlety.
At the age of 15, Malone was legally emancipated and took direct control of her finances and her career. She began getting more attention and acclaim in her next set of films, including 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.
Malone 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.
