Mariska Hargitay is finally telling a story she has carried her entire life. Her directorial debut, My Mom Jayne, will premiere on HBO and Max on June 27, just days before the 58th anniversary of her mother’s tragic death. The documentary explores the life and career of Jayne Mansfield as a woman, mother, and Hollywood star.
The documentary takes viewers inside Hargitay’s emotional journey as she attempts to understand better the mother she lost when she was only three years old. Though Mansfield died in a devastating car accident in 1967, her influence has lived on in pop culture, and the 61-year-old Hargitay is now looking back at Mansfield’s personality.
‘My Mom Jayne’
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In My Mom Jayne, Hargitay explores the contrast between the woman she has heard about through family stories and the star the world remembers. She admits that for much of her life, she despised her mother’s path, choosing a different style of acting and striving to establish her own identity apart from Mansfield’s image.
The documentary features conversations with Hargitay’s siblings, including her sister, Jayne Marie, and brothers, Mickey Hargitay Jr., Zoltan Hargitay, and Tony Cimber. Each one brings a different memory, angle, and sense of grief. Their stories reveal who Jayne Mansfield was at home: loving, ambitious, sometimes misunderstood, and far more interesting than the image Hollywood created.
Stories untold
My Mom Jayne also includes never-before-seen home videos and photos that paint a fuller picture of Mansfield’s private life. Hargitay opens up about family secrets, including the revelation that the man who raised her, Mickey Hargitay, was not her biological father. She revealed that her biological father was entertainer Nelson Sardelli.
This is a journey of healing for Hargitay. The documentary shows how she dealt with feelings of confusion and grief, particularly as she confronted some painful and uncomfortable truths with her younger brother, Tony. By tracing her mother’s life through both the light and shadow, Hargitay hopes to reclaim a legacy as well as a piece of herself. My Mom Jayne is Hargitay’s tribute and her effort to connect with the mother she never truly knew.