Tribeca Film Festival Interview: Jena Malone Talks Parenthood and ‘Lorelei’

For over two decades now, Jena Malone has been a daring and exciting actress. Whether it’s her early days in Contact, The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys, Donnie Darko, For Love of the Game, Life as a House, Pride & Prejudice, and Saved!, or later on with The Go-Getter, Into the Wild, The Neon Demon, and multiple installments of The Hunger Games sequels, whatever she does is interesting. Some of those films are among my personal favorites, so anytime she gets work, I’m in. Last year, the Tribeca Film Festival featured a movie of hers in Lorelei, one where she plays an unconventional mother (brilliantly, I might add). Of course, Tribeca in 2020 was a bit of an experiment, so the fest invited a number of flicks back this year. Tied in to that second invitation for her project, I was lucky enough to spend about twenty minutes on Zoom recently with Malone. That chat can be found here today.

Below, you can see my conversation with Malone. Last year, I found her performance in Lorelei to be one of her best, so that film was central on my mind. However, it wasn’t just the movie that we spoke about. We discussed parenthood (and motherhood, specifically), the projects of her youth, and where the future may lead her, cinematically. She’s an intelligent, personable, and thoughtful woman, so her answers to my questions were absolutely top-notch. When you get the chance to see Lorelei, you’ll see Malone deliver the sort of fearless and compelling performance that you’ve come to expect from her. I know I can’t wait to see what’s next…

Here now is my interview with Lorelei star Jena Malone. Enjoy:

Jena Malone can be seen in Lorelei, playing at the Tribeca Film Festival and scheduled to be released later on this year.