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- Emotional acceptance: Hargitay honors Steinem and storytelling
- What My Mom Jayne reveals: a daughter’s journey into family history
- Family ties and surprising revelations
- Behind the camera: Hargitay’s transition to director
- How Steinem’s words influenced the film’s message
- Public response and awards spotlight
- What Hargitay shared about the filmmaking experience
Mariska Hargitay broke into tears as she accepted a Creative Arts Emmy for her first film, My Mom Jayne, and used the moment to echo words from the late Gloria Steinem. The Law & Order: SVU star spoke at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles on September 6, urging people—especially women—to claim their stories.
Emotional acceptance: Hargitay honors Steinem and storytelling
Onstage, Hargitay acknowledged feeling “overwhelmed” by the recognition. She referenced Steinem’s recent plea to the public to share their lives. “Tell your own story,” she said, weaving Steinem’s message into her acceptance remarks.
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Steinem, a towering voice in feminism, died at 92 on September 2 in New York City. Her last recorded interview appears in the Famous Last Words series. That interview, filmed earlier this year, emphasized personal testimony as a gift to others.
What My Mom Jayne reveals: a daughter’s journey into family history
My Mom Jayne is Hargitay’s exploration of her mother, Jayne Mansfield, the 1960s star who died in a 1967 car crash. The documentary mixes archival footage, home movies, and conversations with Mansfield’s children.
Key elements of the film
- Home videos that show Mansfield offstage and at home.
- Interviews with Mansfield’s five children.
- Moments that illuminate how family stories shape identity.
The director turned her personal curiosity into cinema. The film maps how memory, myth, and media shaped both Mansfield’s public persona and her private life.
Family ties and surprising revelations
Jayne Mansfield had several relationships and children across different partnerships. Hargitay’s film traces these family threads and how they affected her upbringing.
- Jayne Marie Mansfield, born 1950, with Paul Mansfield.
- Miklós and Zoltán, born 1958 and 1960, with Mickey Hargitay.
- Mariska, born 1964, and Tony, 1965, from later relationships.
Mariska grew up raised by Mickey Hargitay and later learned her biological father was Nelson Sardelli. The documentary explores those early absences and the search for answers.
Behind the camera: Hargitay’s transition to director
Hargitay admitted she hesitated to direct at first. The project required confronting private material and emotional truths. Over time, she accepted that the story belonged to her to tell.
Creating a documentary about a famous parent presents unique challenges. Hargitay balanced reverence for Mansfield’s image with a desire for honest reflection.
How Steinem’s words influenced the film’s message
Steinem’s final public appeal—to share personal stories—resonated deeply with Hargitay. On stage, she invited others to embrace the same practice. Her call was especially aimed at women, she said, who remain underrepresented in narrative spaces.
The parallel between Steinem’s activism and Hargitay’s film highlights a cultural shift. Personal narratives are increasingly central to understanding history and identity.
Public response and awards spotlight
The Creative Arts Emmy nod recognizes Hargitay’s first work behind the camera. Viewers and critics noted the film’s intimate approach and emotional honesty.
- Emmy honor acknowledges directorial craft.
- The film adds to renewed interest in Mansfield’s life.
- Hargitay’s speech drew attention to broader issues of voice and representation.
What Hargitay shared about the filmmaking experience
On the Call Her Daddy podcast in late June, Hargitay described the documentary as a revelatory experience. She said making the film revealed familial traits and qualities she now recognizes in herself.
She called the process a gift. It allowed her to both admire and reassess the woman who shaped part of her origin story.
