Jena Malone is an American actress who first gained critical recognition for her screen debut in Bastard out of Carolina (1996), for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Satellite Award. She gained further recognition for her role in the television film Hope, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film. In 1998, Malone won a Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for her role in Contact (1997).