She's only 22, but Jena Malone has already shared the screen with big-name stars Jodie Foster, Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts, and Nicole Kidman. Impressive. The young star took time out of her busy schedule — she's doing a Broadway play through May — to chat with ym.com about her role in Pride & Prejudice.
YM: Where are you calling from?
Jena Malone: My kitchen in New York. I'm here doing a Pulitzer- and Tony Award—winning play, "Doubt."
YM: What's that like?
JM: Oh, it's scary, liberating, fulfilling and terrifying. The last time I was in a play, I was 7 years old!
YM: Wow. How did you break into acting?
JM: My mom did a lot of community theater when I was younger, and I just knew I wanted to do it, too. Finally, I convinced my mom to move to L.A., and I spent a year auditioning. I did some commercials, a Michael Jackson video, and then the first real script I read was Bastard Out of Carolina, which I auditioned for, and it ended up working out wonderfully!
YM: Let's talk about Pride & Prejudice, which will be released February 28 on DVD. What was it like filming? How did you get the role of Lydia Bennett?
JM: I auditioned and they gave it to me.
YM: Was it intimidating to try to get the English accent down? You were the only American cast of all the Bennett sisters.
JM: Yes, particularly working with a whole cast of English people, but once I got over the idea of sounding silly and making mistakes, it was fine. I wasn't the only non-English person; there was Donald Sutherland from Canada.
YM: Where was it filmed?
JM: We shot for about three months in England, in six different areas. I'd traveled there when I was around 16, but this was the first time I was there by myself. It was a fun shoot, and we [the cast] became very close.
YM: Had you read the book before?
JM: I'd read Pride & Prejudice in school, but I didn't really like it. Then, when I actually got the part, I re-read the novel and discovered all these layers.
YM: What was it like working with Keira Knightley?
JM: She's wonderful! It was awesome. She's a really sweet and wonderful girl, very talented and giving.
YM: Was it fun doing a period piece? Did you have a say in your costumes?
JM: I'd done [projects] set in the '40s, '60s, '80s, and more, but this was nice to go even further back. Clothes are so transporting. You do have a certain amount of say in clothing, of course if a fabric feels horrible and you can't wear it, or you might say "I feel like she [my character] would have a ribbon here." There are so many choices you get to make.
YM: What designers do you like? Do you follow fashion trends?
JM: I love vintage, I love thrifting and finding interesting things. I'm not too caught up in saying I only wear this designer.
— Andrea Pyros
Photo: Courtesy Universal Studios Home Entertainment
