By Thomas Chau in New York City

Jena Malone has reached a level in Hollywood unmatched by those of her contemporaries. Most actresses take on the over-hyped, teenage high school type roles but Jena doesn’t see herself wearing tight skirts or shaking pom-poms for the high school football team. Instead, she has earned a respect among the indie film cult world, with heavy performances in such films as “Donnie Darko,” “The Dangerous Lives of Alter Boys,” and “Life as a House.”

This year, she has two films opening: “The United States of Leland,” where she co-stars as a helpless drug addict named Becky Pollard, and “Saved!” where she stars as a high school Christian girl who begins questioning her own faith after a series of events which change her life.

She was in New York City recently to talk about “Leland” and below is what she had to say about the movie, her career, and her excitement over the “Donnie Darko” director’s cut.

Q: What was your first impression when you got the script for “The United States of Leland”?

JENA: My first impression was that I was very ignorant, because there were a lot of questions that arose in my mind that I hadn’t thought about, and [also] I thought were very important to have your in mind. I didn’t really have a clear answer in regards to the juvenile detention systems, and also in regards to a lot of these acts that have been committed in the media involving school shootings and young people committing heinous acts that you can’t really comprehend. I hear about them in the media but never really thought twice about. That was the first thing that entered my head. The second was that it was such a beautiful story and was very honest. There was no evil character. There was no villain. There were just a bunch of decent people making good and bad choices. I really loved that.

Q: From “Donnie Darko,” to “The Secret Lives of Dentists,” to “The United States of Leland,” to the upcoming “Saved!”, your characters tend to have this tragic theme where they are searching for themselves. How does that relate to you?

JENA: It relates to me because I’m a young adolescent girl who has to deal with understanding herself and how she relates to the world. For me, what’s important about in choosing a character is whether it’s a truthful depiction of youth today. It’s something I’m able to relate to. As an audience member, I go to a film so many times and say, “Who are these people on screen that represent something that I’m supposed to be going through?” I don’t know about tragic but those characters are at least not stereotypical and they’re not clichéd. They’re young women going through some pretty important issues and they have to make some pretty important decisions about their life. Yeah, they made mistakes and they’re coping with that but what young person isn’t? I think it’s a very important thing to address. Adolescence isn’t just about prom or wearing sparkly dresses.

Q: So if you met the characters depicted in these movies, what kind of advice would you give them?

JENA: Advice is such a tricky thing when you’re young. There is a point in every young person’s life when you realize that the youth that you’ve progressed through and graduate to some sort of adulthood is equally as messed up as where you’re going. It’s very easy in that time of your life to be very confused and disillusioned by this transition that you’re supposed to be making. It’s very easy to make certain decisions that affect your life that you have no perspective on.

Q: Did you do any research for your role in “Leland” by talking to any drug addicts?

JENA: A good friend of mine had dealt with some of the similar problems and he’s been clean for four years so he was an absolute resource Bible, in that sense, of just being able to have someone tell you their personal experiences because I try not to draw too much from films because it’s kind of an open manipulation. But I did do some research into the chemical of the drugs and how they affected you mentally and physically and what happens when you induce such things into your body.

Q: You’ve worked with a lot of first-time directors. How was Matthew Ryan Hodge’s approach to filmmaking different from others?

JENA: He asked me to do more of my own. Matt provided me with books and music and detailed back stories of the character I was playing. He gave me “Jesus’ Son,” “The Catcher in the Rye,” and “The Stranger.” He also gave me a lot of the Pixies to listen to in order to tap into the emotional life of this role. I think that was the main difference. He gave me all the resources whereas others have asked me to seek it out on my own.

Q: “Saved!” is your big starring studio debut in that you’re working with people like Mandy Moore but it’s not your typical teen film. Are you getting these kinds of roles now?

JENA: I get everything. I make sure that I read things that I’m not right for and things I guess I would typically read for. I try to read as much as I can. I think the more you know about what’s being put out there, the easier it is to find the projects you really love. You could read hours and hours of complete shit but when you’re struck by something that’s honest, you want to fight very hard for it. It doesn’t have to be weighty, dramatic, and hard to understand. I think you can find humor and truth to it and that’s the beauty of life.

Q: Are you consciously avoiding these mainstream teen movies?

JENA: It is a conscious choice. It feels so false to be putting on a lot of makeup and wearing crazy clothes in this heightened form of sexuality and femininity. [It’s not] who I want young girls to look at.

Q: Are you pleased that there’s a longer, director’s cut version of “Donnie Darko” coming out?

JENA: I am pleased. I know that every scene that [Richard Kelly] wrote needed to be on screen. He took things out in his own writing process and when he wrote the script, he knew the story what needed to be told. But because of the studio’s idea of what the audience wants to see, and how much they think they can tolerate with time…I’m excited. It sucks when there’s interference of that vision, particularly when you’re Richard Kelly and you have this clear and precise vision as to the movie you want to make.

Q: Do you have a set plan as to where you want to go with your career?

JENA: People have their own strategies in this business. Everyone implicates their own rules. I’ve always found that the loopholes have carried me through so I try not to strategize. I try to pretend I’m in that dark theater and when I’m scripts, I try to be that audience member and try to see what’s new and what needs to be told, whether that’s acting or taking photos and showing people.

"The United States of Leland" is currently playing in limited release. "Saved!" opens May 28th.