In a November 2015 interview with Vulture, Jena Malone shared her preparations for playing Johanna Mason in the “Hunger Games” franchise.
To better understand Johanna’s post-torture mindset, director Francis Lawrence arranged for Malone to meet with a specialist in posttraumatic stress disorder.
“Learning about the real-life effects of traumatic events on a person’s body, personality, and reactions was eye-opening for me,” Malone stated.
“I read a few books about these soldiers in war and combat coming home, and the anger and dissociation between real life and what is their life. And it just clicked! As soon as I started understanding what that horror is, what that anger is, I realized that she had developed all these ways to be able to survive.”
Malone also delved into the physical effects of Johanna’s experiences, researching torture techniques, starvation, jaundice, and morphine addiction.
Jena Malone offered to shave her head for her role in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2,” but filmmakers told her it wasn’t necessary (Credit: Lionsgate)
Transforming for the Role: Achieving Johanna’s Bald Look
Her goal was to portray Johanna in a “raw” state. Johanna’s baldness was depicted through CGI, a bald cap, and a bald body double to achieve this.
Though Malone admits she would have been willing to shave her head for the role, the scenes were filmed out of sequence over 10 months.
“I’ve shaved my head twice for roles before and I would have done it again,” Malone said.
“Every woman should shave her head at least once. It’s an important thing to see what your head feels like, what your senses feel like, and also what you feel like as a woman, when you’re stripped from these very identifiable things, you know? So you can figure out what is really feminine inside.”
Jena Malone says Johanna’s bald look in “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” was achieved through a combination of CGI, a bald cap with tracking dots, and a bald-headed stand-in (Credit: Lionsgate)
Jena Malone’s character in the “Hunger Games” franchise was depicted as bald, but the actress had only a portion of her head shaved for the role.
The rest of the bald appearance was created through a combination of a bald cap, CGI, and a bald body double. This was due to the filming schedule, which was shot out of sequence over the course of ten months. As a result, it wasn’t practical for Malone to maintain a bald head throughout the filming process.
“It was way more than a bald cap,” Jena told Jimmy Kimmel in an interview. “It was like a CGI experiment. We had little dots and trackers, and there was a woman who also had a bald head who was brought in to shoot some of my sequences.”
Red Carpet Revelations: Jena Malone’s Bold Fashion Choices
Jena Malone styled her look with a gold Jimmy Choo clutch and gold manicure (Credit: Apega / WENN / FayesVision / Nikki Nelson)
Following in the footsteps of Jaimie Alexander and other celebrities who have gone commando, in November 2013, Jena Malone joined Elizabeth Banks, Isabelle Fuhrman, and Jennifer Lawrence on the red carpet in Los Angeles.
Jena Malone went commando in a breathtaking Nicholas Oakwell Spring 2012 Couture gold ombre gown (Credit: Apega / WENN / FayesVision / Nikki Nelson)
Jena Malone’s Journey Through the Hunger Games Saga
Jena Malone, born on November 21, 1984, was 27 years old when the first “Hunger Games” movie, “The Hunger Games,” was released on March 23, 2012, and 30 years old when the final movie, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2,” was released on November 20, 2015.
Jena Malone looked like a golden goddess at the Hunger Games Catching Fire Premiere in Los Angeles on November 19, 2013 (Credit: Apega / WENN / FayesVision / Nikki Nelson)
A Golden Goddess: Malone’s Premiere Night Glamour
Jena Malone opted for the riskiest outfit of the evening, namely a gold ombre gown by Nicholas Oakwell. She styled it with a Jimmy Choo clutch and Charlotte Olympia Gilda platform sandals.
Jena Malone completed her outfit with Charlotte Olympia Gilda platform sandals (Credit: Apega / WENN / FayesVision / Nikki Nelson)
Freida Pinto wore the same pair of heels to an event earlier the same year. How do you like Jena’s see-through gown?
Steal the Style: Affordable Gold Dress Alternatives
If you’re interested in a more affordable gold dress, you may like this alternative from Nordstrom:
Alex Evenings Embellished Lace Column Gown, $198