Mariska Hargitay is finally trying to understand her late mother, the actress, sex symbol and Playboy playmate Jayne Mansfield. And she’s taking audiences along for the ride in her film debut, “My Mom Jayne.” The documentary will premiere on HBO on June 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
“I’ve spent my whole life distancing myself from my mother,” Hargitay says in the first trailer for the documentary. “Her career made me want to do it differently. But I want to understand her now.”
When Hargitay was only three years old, her mother tragically died in a car accident at the age of 34. Hargitay was one of five children she left behind. In her feature film directorial debut, the “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” actor seeks to answer several unanswered questions about her mother and encourages her siblings to confront their loss. Along the way, she also discovers the surprising layers that made up who Jayne was while uncovering her own sense of self. “My Mom Jayne” combines never-before-seen photos and home movies paired with footage from the 1950s and ’60s of Mansfield as it explores who this Hollywood star was in public and in private.
“A story of loss and longing, healing and transformation, ‘My Mom Jayne’ is a testament to the rewards of an unflinching search for truth, unveiling Mariska’s journey to reclaim her mother’s story — and her own,” a press release for the documentary reads. Watch the trailer below:
In addition to Hargitay, “My Mom Jayne” features interviews from her siblings Jayne Marie Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay Jr., Zoltan Hargitay and Tony Cimber, as well as her stepmother Ellen Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield’s press secretary Raymond “Rusty” Strait.
“My Mom Jayne” is directed and produced by Hargitay. Trish Adlesic serves as a producer, and Lauran Bromley executive produces. Other EPs include Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller and senior producer Anna Klein for HBO. HBO Documentary Films presents “My Mom Jayne,” a Mighty Entertainment Production.
Though the documentary marks Hargitay’s directorial debut, this isn’t the first time she’s worked with HBO. Hargitay and Adlesic previously produced HBO’s Emmy-winning documentary “I Am Evidence.”
