Mariska Hargitay Reflects on Touching Family Moments While Watching the Documentary
Mariska Hargitay received her siblings’ blessings to share the story of their mother, Jayne Mansfield, in a new HBO documentary — and the family shed tears during their first viewing together.
During an appearance on the Thursday, June 26, episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers, Hargitay revealed fresh insights about how she approached her siblings regarding her plans for the documentary, My Mom Jayne, focusing on their late mother.
“Well, first of all, it was very sweet, because I flew out to L.A. to meet with them and say, ‘I want to do this. I want your blessing. I don’t want to proceed without it,’” Hargitay, 61, shared with Meyers, 51. “Of course, they were hesitant and uncertain, saying, ‘I don’t know what this means.’”
She added: “None of them are in … you know, they don’t make movies. They’re not actors, they’re not involved in show business at all. But they concluded with, ‘We trust you,’ which was an extraordinary thing to hear from your siblings.”
The iconic 1950s actress had five children in total: Jayne Marie Mansfield was born in 1950 with her first husband Paul Mansfield. Sons Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay Jr. and Zoltán Hargitay, along with daughter Mariska, were born in 1958, 1960, and 1964, respectively, with her second husband Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay. Jayne and her third husband Antonio “Tony” Cimber welcomed Antonio “Tony” Cimber in 1965.
Mansfield tragically passed away at the age of 34 in a car crash in 1967. Hargitay, who was just 3 years old at the time, was rescued from the wreckage. Her brothers Mickey Jr. and Zoltán were also in the car during the tragic incident.
(Photo by Getty)
The Law & Order SVU star also recounted with Meyers that after completing the documentary, she gathered her siblings again for a “private, intimate” viewing of the finished film.
“I flew out once more just to show it to them, and we had this private screening. It was genuinely one of the highlights of my life,” she stated on the talk show.
Hargitay continued, “We arranged four seats across; one brother was in one seat, then my sister, me, and my other brother. Within 10 minutes, we found ourselves sitting in two seats. We held hands throughout the film, and it was really beautiful. We all cried, and my sister said something so moving, ‘I feel like we’re four people with one beating heart.’”
