Mariska Hargitay Set to Direct ‘My Mom Jayne’ About Jayne Mansfield: What We Know
The actress says, ‘It’s the search for the mother I never knew'
Beloved actress Mariska Hargitay is stepping behind the camera for a project close to her heart. The Law and Order SVU star is set to direct My Mom Jayne, a documentary that explores the life and legacy of her iconic mother, Hollywood legend Jayne Mansfield. Slated to premiere in June on HBO, the film will give fans an intimate look into Mansfield’s career and her untimely death’s impact on both the entertainment industry and her family. Here’s everything we know about the documentary so far.
‘My Mom Jayne,’ directed by Mariska Hargitay
On April 8, Warner Bros. shared details for an upcoming documentary, My Mom Jayne, including news that Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress and filmmaker Mariska Hargitay will be directing. This marks her feature film directorial debut, and it will premiere in June on HBO, with streaming available on MAX.
Everything we know about ‘My Mom Jayne’ so far
Hargitay was only 3 years old when her mom died in a car accident, and she hopes to use this film as an opportunity to further connect with Mansfield—nearly 60 years after her death.
What is ‘My Mom Jayne’ about?
According to the press release, the film follows Hargitay as she seeks to know, understand, and embrace her mother for the first time. Through intimate interviews and a collection of never-before-seen photos and home movies, she grapples with her mother’s public and private legacy and discovers the layers and depth of who Jayne was, not only to her audience but to those who were closest to her.
Hargitay is also producing the HBO Original doc with Trish Adlesic, and Lauran Bromley serves as executive producer. Hargitay and Adlesic worked together previously to make HBO’s Emmy-winning documentary I Am Evidence.
What Mariska Hargitay has said about working on the film
Hargitay shared a statement in the press release and posted a photo of her and her mom on Instagram, detailing her excitement for the film.
“This movie is a labor of love and longing. It’s a search for the mother I never knew, an integration of a part of myself I’d never owned, and a reclaiming of my mother’s story and my own truth,” she said in the release. “I’ve always believed there is strength in vulnerability, and the process of making this film has confirmed that belief like never before.”
Hargitay’s caption was similar, but the actress also talked about how she never got to make a movie with her mom and how Mansfield never made the kind of movies she wanted to. “#MyMomJayne is a place of meeting for us, and words fail me to describe how meaningful it is to tell her story, my own, and ours together.”
Who is Jayne Mansfield?
Mansfield, born Vera Jayne Palmer in 1933 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, was one of the leading actresses and sex symbols of the 1950s and 1960s. In 1957, she won a Golden Globe for The Girl Can’t Help It. She was also a singer, classically trained pianist and violinist.
Her notable roles include Pete Kelly’s Blues, Hell on Frisco Bay, Kiss Them For Me and Primitive Love.
Mansfield was married three times: first to Paul Mansfield, then to Mickey Hargitay and lastly to Matt Cimber. She has five children total: one from her first marriage, three from the second—including the SVU star—and one from the third.
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