Where is the star Jenny the ass? – The Hollywood Reporter
She’s one of award season’s most talked-about stars, a newcomer to the screen whose scene-stealing debut performance has graced countless column inches, and whose name has been called out in numerous acceptance speeches. However, Jenny the miniature ass – plucked from obscurity Equidae by Martin McDonagh and thrown into the A-list of his dark Irish comedy Anisherin from Inisherinwhere I went from hoof to toe with Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon. – was completely absent from the campaign trail.
Looking at the accolades raining down on her co-stars, THR – finds herself on Emerald Isle for the Dublin International Film Festival – was hoping to track down Jenny so she could at least enjoy some attention. Certainly, with the Oscar race drawing to a close, producers and publicists will be eager to help any eventual media push in a dash to the finish line.
not exactly.
While Searchlight representatives initially seemed interested in helping, they quickly fell silent, eventually citing — a full week before the trip — their “lack of time” to arrange such a meeting (was Jenny on a streak?). But it turned out that the claims about the hectic schedule were just a cunning hoax. Not only did Jenny do no journalism whatsoever, but her whereabouts were kept strictly on a need-to-know basis.
An insider said: “Genie’s top-secret, closely guarded location” THR Once in Dublin, acknowledging that even she – someone who actually worked Banshee He wasn’t in the circle of confidence needed to be told.
As was widely reported, once the movie was shot in 2021, the producers paid for Jenny to take early retirement (“We didn’t want her to do any dirty movies,” McDonagh previously explained to THR). In various articles and social media posts, it has been said that she is now living happily in the Midland region of Ireland. But in other interviews, her therapist, Rita Moloney of Fircroft Animal Actors, said Jenny was with other miniature donkeys (about five, apparently) somewhere in County Carlow, a little south. Anyway, emails have been sent out to several donkey sanctuaries that fit the bill.
However, one of the executives who worked on the movie claimed THR that Jenny “was” at Carlow’s but has since been “passed on”. They also do not know where.
Whether that was true or not, it felt like a carefully orchestrated stunt operation was deployed to keep both fans and journalists at bay, even those who fully promised not to reveal Jenny’s location to anyone else. This became even more apparent when every shelter contacted failed to respond. It’s clear that all of Ireland has been working to protect the country’s foursome star from the pressures and pitfalls of fame. As the CEO later confirmed, “We just want her to enjoy her retirement in peace.”
Sadly without the time to drive around Ireland with a picture of Jenny asking strangers if they’ve “seen that donkey” (it now looks a bit bigger than it did in the movie – Condon reveals she’s “filled in” the pictures she made visible), THR He gave up his quest.
Maybe Jenny really wants to spend the post-Banshee Life away from the cameras and she has no interest in enjoying it for 15 minutes. Or maybe, with the Oscars looming and one wrong move enough to tip the scales, the publicists don’t want a donkey without media training to sway himself.
A version of this story first appeared in the March 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe.