Mariska Hargitay is a tv icon after greater than 20 years main Regulation & Order: SVU, however she’s making headlines over SVU’s summer season hiatus within the 2025 TV schedule resulting from her new documentary, My Mother Jayne. Launched on HBO and obtainable streaming now with an HBO Max subscription, the documentary about Hargitay’s late mom not solely dug deep into the true story behind the Hollywood star’s life and tragic loss of life, but in addition adopted Hargitay herself coming to phrases with tough parts of her household historical past.
I used to be all the time planning to look at the documentary, since I knew nearly nothing about Jayne Mansfield, have solely ever heard nice issues about Mariska Hargitay as an individual from co-stars, and simply typically get pleasure from a very good doc. Hargitay directed and produced the mission herself. However seeing hype on social media and constructive evaluation after constructive evaluation, I made a decision to prioritize watching it. I couldn’t be happier that I did, however I wasn’t anticipating the top to make me cry.
My Mother Jayne, A Movie By Mariska Hargitay
I received’t get too closely into spoilers right here, as a result of the documentary actually deserves to be skilled relatively than simply examine in abstract, however I’ll say that the story of Jayne Mansfield packs an emotional punch even in case you’re in no way aware of her historical past as a Hollywood icon with a repute for taking part in “dumb blonde” roles.
Mansfield died on the age of simply 34, when Mariska Hargitay was simply three years outdated. The SVU actress candidly speaks about why she prevented digging into her mom’s historical past for a lot of her life, and there have been extraordinarily private factors within the documentary that I used to be truthfully impressed that she and her siblings remained on digital camera. Interviewees included all of Hargitay’s siblings, her stepmother, and her mom’s press secretary, amongst others.
There’s loads of footage of Jayne Mansfield from the ‘50s and ‘60s, reduce collectively in a means that, when mixed with tales from a number of the individuals who knew her finest, instructed a narrative that was profoundly unhappy at instances. I’d be mendacity if I mentioned that there weren’t sequences in the course of the documentary that had me shedding my first tears.
The completed product additionally offers additional context to Mariska Hargitay’s massive disclose to Vainness Truthful earlier this yr that Mickey Hargitay was not her organic father, and fleshes out Jayne Mansfield’s story by devoting stable quantities of time to telling the tales of the folks round her.
Suffice it to say that I 100% perceive why I used to be seeing a lot hype round My Mother Jayne, and my query of whether or not I’d be invested once I didn’t know something about Jayne Mansfield was actually answered. It was the story of Mansfield’s hopes, goals, and undervalued skills that had me tearing up earlier than the top of the movie.
However the cathartic finish was what actually bought me.
Why My Mother Jayne’s Ending Was So Highly effective
Right here’s the place I’ll get deeper into particular spoilers, as a result of it’s not possible to actually clarify why the top was impactful with out particulars. Not solely did Mariska Hargitay commit a stable period of time to her father, Mickey Hargitay, and her organic father, however she took the time to acknowledge how necessary her stepmother was to her. Sure, there was that profound disappointment from a lot of Jayne Mansfield’s story, however pleasure in seeing her household as it’s as we speak.
And two back-to-back sequences actually assured that my ending tears have been really completely satisfied from the catharsis of how the story was instructed relatively than simply unhappy for Mansfield’s untapped potential within the business and life ended too quickly. Mariska Hargitay was joined by siblings Jayne Marie Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay Jr., and Zoltan Hargitay in exploring a storage unit full of recollections and belongings of their mom.
In one in all few humorous moments from the documentary, the siblings found a really outdated trophy in one of many packing containers and Mariska Hargitay instantly recognized it as a Golden Globe. Understandably so! The actress, in fact, received a Golden Globe of her personal for taking part in Olivia Benson on Regulation & Order: SVU again in 2005, and her brother instantly instructed that she put their mother’s 1956 “Worldwide Stardom Award” together with her “Finest Actress in a TV Collection – Drama” award.
However the kicker got here on the very finish courtesy of Mariska Hargitay’s husband, Peter Hermann, to repay on her ongoing effort to get her mom’s lovely Steinway & Sons grand piano again. The piano had one-of-a-kind portray on it, however the instrument had belonged to a different household for many years.
Hermann had discovered and gotten the piano for Hargitay for her sixtieth birthday, with footage displaying the moment she discovered that the piano was lastly theirs and a candy second with the entire household embracing. (In a bonus candy observe, Hargitay and her daughter have been sporting matching Taylor Swift Eras Tour sweatshirts after the actress had spoken about their shared appreciation for the artist.)
Did my completely satisfied tears briefly stall out of nerves when that stunning grand piano was being hoisted a number of tales up into the air on a wet day? Sure! Was it the proper lead-in to Hargitay’s closing monologue about attending to know her mother throughout the making of the documentary? Additionally sure.
All of that is to say that I can’t suggest My Mother Jayne extremely sufficient for anyone who enjoys documentaries, particularly as any individual who knew Mariska Hargitay’s work simply from Regulation & Order: SVU and nothing about Jayne Mansfield earlier than tuning in. It stays to be seen if she’ll be impressed to work on extra documentary characteristic movies sooner or later, since this was such a private mission, however Hargitay has branched out from performing up to now by directing episodes of SVU, all of which can be found with a Peacock subscription now. Try the trailer beneath:
You’ll be able to take a look at My Mother Jayne for your self streaming now on Max, in case you missed the published on June 27. Even in case you’ve considerably spoiled your self on the doc by studying this far, there’s lots that I didn’t reveal. In actual fact, even when this had been a play-by-play of the almost two-hour manufacturing in minute element, it could be price awaiting the general public and private archive footage of Jayne Mansfield.