Mariska Hargitay interviewed Gloria Steinem while making My Mom Jayne, but the conversation never appeared in the finished documentary about her mother, Jayne Mansfield. It was among several interviews left out as the film’s story developed.
The Law & Order: SVU star discussed those decisions during an October 25th appearance at the New Yorker Festival, where she spoke with staff writer Rachel Syme about the differences between directing television and making a documentary.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Hargitay said she had collected enough footage for “five movies.” Her account described a production whose direction emerged through the people she interviewed and the family history she explored.
The project marked Hargitay’s feature-film directorial debut. She had previously worked in documentaries as a producer, collaborating with Trish Adlesic on HBO’s Emmy-winning I Am Evidence. Adlesic also produced My Mom Jayne.
She Wants to Find a Home for the Steinem Interview
Hargitay intends to return to the unused conversation, although she has not settled on what form that project might take.
“I’m going to do something with that footage. I just don’t know what yet,” she said.
She added that Steinem needed “her own honoring” and suggested they could devote another discussion entirely to her. Hargitay did not announce a release date or say whether the material would become a separate documentary.
Steinem Was Also Her Friend and Mentor
Steinem died September 2nd at age 92. Hargitay subsequently paid tribute to her on Instagram, sharing a poem the activist had given her as a birthday gift.
As NBC Insider reported, Hargitay described Steinem as her beloved friend and mentor. Her message thanked Steinem for sharing her courage with others.
Their friendship extended beyond the documentary. Steinem had visited Hargitay on the SVU set, and the actress previously credited her activism as an influence on her decision to establish the Joyful Heart Foundation, which supports survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
Making the Documentary Changed How Hargitay Directed
Hargitay told Syme that directing an episode of SVU involves concentrating heavily on performances within a scripted story. With My Mom Jayne, she did not know in advance where the interviews would lead.
She described working with her director of photography to set up the camera and have conversations with the participants. Choosing whom to interview and deciding which material belonged in the film became central parts of the process.
Some conversations ultimately fell outside the story she was assembling. Hargitay attributed their exclusion to that evolving focus.
The Film Brought Her Mother’s Story Into Her Own
Hargitay was three when Mansfield died in a car crash in 1967. Her mother was 34 and left behind five children.
According to HBO, the documentary combines family photographs, home movies, letters and personal belongings with archival footage of Mansfield’s film work and television appearances.
Hargitay interviewed her siblings Jayne Marie Mansfield, Mickey Hargitay Jr., Zoltan Hargitay and Tony Cimber. Other participants included her stepmother, Ellen Hargitay, and Mansfield’s former press secretary, Raymond “Rusty” Strait.
The film also made public a fact Hargitay had kept private for decades: entertainer Nelson Sardelli is her biological father, while Mickey Hargitay was the father who raised her.
At the festival, she described making the documentary as a way to release herself from the burden of keeping that history secret. She also spoke about understanding the reasons her family had protected it.
Her Emmy Speech Included a Tribute to Steinem
My Mom Jayne premiered on HBO on June 27th, 2025. The Television Academy records two 2026 Emmy wins: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.
Hargitay received recognition as both a producer and the director. Cinematographer Tony Hardmon also earned a nomination for his work on the film.
During her acceptance speech, Hargitay recalled advice from Steinem, as Town & Country reported: “My hero and friend Gloria Steinem recently said, ‘Please tell your own story.’”
