She’s starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko, been a knocked up teen in Saved! and a husband hungry younger sibling in Pride & Prejudice. Now JENA MALONE stars in INTO THE WILD – co-written and directed by Sean Penn. GENEVIEVE PARLEY contacts the 23 year-old actress for a brief game of Q&A.

Into The Wild is the story of college graduate Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch), top student and athlete who disposes all of his possessions to charity – including his $24,000 life savings – and heads off to hitchhike through America, hoping to eventually find himself in Alaska. Jena Malone stars as Carine McCandless, Christopher’s older sister and the narrator of the thoughtful and often uplifting tale that follows the young man right through to his final, tragic destination…

What did you feel when you first read Sean Penn’s script?

I loved it and I didn’t even know who had written it. I thought it was beautiful. There was poetry in it. I was in New York doing a play, and I put myself on tape and sent it to Sean. Three days later he gave me a call and we talked for 15 minutes. He knows what he wants.

What was the experience of working with Sean Penn like?

He is a poet, a true speaker and absolutely a ball of fire and passion. And I think the greatest gift he gave us all was the gift of collaboration.

You have a double role in this film: as Carine and as a narrator.

I have never done anything like that before, and I had to keep in mind that the Carine we see on the screen is still the same girl that is narrating it; but there are two different sides.

What is the real Carine McCandless like?

She is a very strong woman. She has her guarded edges around some certain soft spots that she values, and she absolutely loves her brother and is willing to do anything to make sure that his voice is heard correctly. But it’s interesting because it is also her voice – as they were so close. She has kids and is a mechanic at a car garage, and has a lot of strength in her.

How was the process of working the part with her?

As an actor it was interesting because I got to form the equation of who she was when she was sixteen and the vulnerability and insecurity in that. I had the attraction of figuring out what the seed to the plant was.

How difficult was it for her to go back to that moment in her life?

Difficult and rewarding, challenging and freeing. To be able to look at your own life through eyes that are not always your own and to be unbiased when your heart is biased I am sure was very hard for her; but she was very open, giving and willing to go there. And I think she had a lot of breakthroughs and was able to come full-terms with things that had happened to her by talking about them and seeing them through a whole different life.

You work with Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt – how was that experience?

They are wonderful! I am always a child again around people I respect. And I learned a lot by just watching them. They’re very funny, smart and inspiring.

What did you feel when you saw the film completed?

For me Into The Wild is like a spiritual journey. When I walked out of the film it was like walking out of a collective spiritual experience. It really touched me.

INTO THE WILD screens in cinemas from Thursday Nov 29.

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