[caption id="attachment_101472" align="aligncenter" width="606"] Photo Credit: Getty Images[/caption]

Jena Malone is just the best. She was the child actor of her generation; scoring a Golden Globe nom as a tween for her work in Hope, outacting Susan Sarandon, Julia Roberts and Ed Harris in Stepmom at the age of 14 (And that script was doing her no favors.), and, overachiever that she is, going on to star in quality indie films like The United States of Leland, Saved! and, best of all, Donnie Darko. All this before she was 20-years-old.

Then, as is often the case with child actors, Jena kind of disappeared. Sure, she popped up in minor roles in great films like Into The Wild, The Messenger and Pride & Prejudice, and also had big roles in some not so great films like Sucker Punch and The Ruins, but it seemed  like those Hollywood folks had no idea about what to do with this stupid talented actor.

Until now.

In the past year, Jena has filmed Catching Fire, basically beating out every actress in the world for the much coveted role of Johanna from the popular book series, attached herself to Lonely Hunter, a biopic about another stupid talented lady, legendary author Carson McCullers, and now, best of all, comes word she will be in Paul Thomas Anderson's new film Inherent Vice. And PTA, the man who introduced the world to Julianne Moore, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Luis Guzman and Thomas Jane, don't mess around when it comes to casting.

So, while we know she never really went away, we still gotta say: Jena's back bitches.

Take note Academy.